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Colo. Guard helos mobilized in balloon incident

The Colorado Army National Guard was preparing to launch two helicopters to help rescue a 6-year-old boy at first thought to be trapped inside a balloon that floated away from its mooring Friday morning.

Air Force Lt. Col. Susan Romano, a spokesman for the 1st Air Force, which oversees military missions within the U.S., said the Colorado Guard prepared an OH-58 Kiowa helicopter to track the balloon and an UH-60 Black Hawk to attempt a link up with the balloon if needed.

The homemade aircraft landed in a Colorado field around 3:40 p.m. Rescue crews surrounded the balloon, which was airborne for more than two hours. The child's fate was unclear. The (Fort Collins, Colo.) Coloradoan reports that the boy was not in the balloon when it landed, and he was found alive in the attic at his family's home.

Cathy Davis of the Larimer County Sheriff's Department told reporters the balloon was owned by the boy's parents and tethered behind the family's home. She said two sons were playing outside when the older boy saw the younger one go into a compartment at the bottom of the balloon and fly away.

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Material from The Associated Press was used in this report.

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