LEWISTON — Organizers of an upcoming Maine balloon festival are offering safety information after a weekend hot air balloon crash killed 16 people in Texas.
The Sun Journal reported that the 24th Great Falls Balloon Festival is set to take place Aug. 19-21 in Lewiston.
The festival’s website says it only invites pilots who have passed yearly in-flight tests to maintain commercial pilot licenses. The balloons must pass yearly safety inspections that include testing the fuel system.
There have been no deaths since the popular festival started in 1992. In a 2011 incident, four people were burned from a fire sparked by a fuel line leak.
The Office of the Maine State Fire Marshal says the office has worked with Lewiston safety officials to ensure that propane tanks are filled properly.
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