Incident Overview
A hot air balloon sustained a fire during landing, resulting in the destruction of the basket and envelope. According to the pilot, the balloon came to rest pressing against a small tree. When the pilot applied heat to the envelope to reposition the balloon for deflation, a small hole appeared in the fabric, and a small tree branch protruded into the envelope.
Fire Sequence
The tree branch inside the envelope caught fire as heat was added. The fire then spread to the envelope fabric. The passengers exited the basket, and two fire extinguishers were deployed in an attempt to extinguish the fire, but the basket and envelope were consumed by the fire.
Mechanical Status
The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the balloon that would have precluded normal operation.