A HOT AIR BALLOON PLT FEW INTO PWR LINES WITH MINOR ACFT DAMAGE. NO INJURIES AND NO DAMAGE TO OTHER PROPERTY. HE HAD CHKED THE WX BEFORE FLT AND HAD SENT UP PLT BALLOONS TO DETERMINE THE WIND DIRECTION.

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GOT SEVERAL FSS RPTS THROUGHOUT THE AFTERNOON AS WELL AS MONITORING OF NOAA WX RADIO. CONDITIONS FROM FSS LAST TIME WERE RPTED CALM TO 6 MPH ON SURFACE. 2 PIBAL BALLOONS WERE LAUNCHED 10 MINS APART WHEN I MET WITH CREW AT APPROX XA30 PM. BOTH PIBALS WENT E TO ABOUT 500 FT. I SELECTED LAUNCH SITE W OF TOWN IN AN UNDEVELOPED SUBDIVISION. PUT UP ANOTHER PIBAL AT APPROX XYPM. AGAIN. PIBAL WENT E. INFLATED HOT AIR BALLOON WITH QUICK RELEASE TIED OFF TO VEHICLE. BALLOON WAS INFLATED APPROX 100 YARDS S OF AN E/W ROW OF PWRLINES. AFTER INFLATION; LOADED 2 PAX AND BRIEFED CREW AND RELEASED QUICK RELEASE. AS BALLOON LIFTED; IT STARTED HDG E; THEN STARTED DRIFTING N FROM A 90 DEG WIND SHIFT FROM THE S. BALLOON HEADED TOWARDS PWRLINES AND I IMMEDIATELY RIPPED OUT TOP OF BALLOON AND LANDED. BALLOON ENVELOPE MADE CONTACT WITH LINES AS IT WAS DEFLATING CAUSING 2 LINES TO CONTACT AND CREATE AN ARC. MINIMAL DAMAGE WAS CAUSED TO 2 PANELS OF THE ENVELOPE. NO INJURIES OCCURRED. NO DAMAGE TO PWRLINES. NO PROPERTY DAMAGE.