NEW: Man falls from the basket of a hot air balloon after it caught on fire in Zacatecas, Mexico.

The man was seen hanging onto a rope as the balloon continued to go higher in the sky.

The incident unfolded when the basket caught fire on the ground. In a final act of… pic.twitter.com/BHAY9Bn7xJ

— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) May 13, 2025

During a Mexican festival on Sunday, a man tragically lost his life after a hot air balloon caught fire. In a heroic act, he had managed to save two other people onboard before the accident, which was captured on camera.

Footage uploaded to X shows the man tangled in a rope, hanging beneath the hot air balloon’s basket, which was engulfed in flames and emitting thick smoke as it ascended higher into the overcast sky.

The balloon later appears drifting in a sunny, clear blue sky, and the man, reduced to a black dot due to the great distance, ultimately releases his grip and falls several feet to the ground.

The 40-year-old man, identified only as Luicio N. by the police, died in the fall, according to the Riviera Maya News. 

“I regret to inform you that during the First Balloon Festival, part of the Enrique Estrada 2025 Fair organized by the city council of this municipality, a person lost their life after an unfortunate incident while aboard a hot air balloon,” said Secretary General Rodrigo Reyes Mugüerza.

The terrifying incident began on the ground when the hot air balloon, participating in the Zacatecas First Balloon Festival at the Enrique Estrada Fair, caught fire with Luicio and two other passengers sitting inside. 

Lucio heroically leapt into action, grabbing the two passengers out of its basket and guiding them to safety.  

But as the balloon moved, Lucio became entangled in its lines and was lifted into the air with it. He dangled from the rope until his fatal fall, according to the local outlet.

Police arrived at the scene to recover the hero’s body, and paramedics took the two injured passengers to a local hospital, where they were treated for first-degree burns.  

Cops are investigating the accident and encouraged hot air balloon operators to take all safety precautions, the Riviera Maya News reported.

“We have asked the State Attorney General’s Office to conduct the corresponding investigations to clarify the facts and determine responsibility. We urge all municipal authorities to strengthen their verification mechanisms to avoid these types of risks during their activities and festivities,” Reyes Mugüerza said.