Carmen and Kyle McLean weren’t expecting company to drop by their house last weekend.

So when a basketful of people — and the enormous hot-air balloon they floated down in — made an unscheduled landing on the street outside their south London home Saturday evening, the couple was more than a bit surprised.

“It was a massive balloon as big as our house,” Kyle said Monday. “It sure captured my attention, that’s for sure.”

The couple had spotted the balloon high in the sky late Saturday afternoon and had chatted about whether they’d ever want to take a balloon ride (she thought it would be fun; he, not so much).

“And all of a sudden, half an hour later, there’s this balloon in our front yard,” Carmen said.

Not exactly in the yard, but close enough to have touched down on the street between the family car and the home across the road.

The pilot shouted for help in holding the 12-passenger basket down and Kyle and others grabbed on to the craft.

When it had landed safely, the passengers’ heads popped up over the edge of the basket, Carmen said. “They just got out and stared in amazement” — as did the crowd of neighbours who’d gathered to watch.

Kyle marvelled that the pilot had navigated through such tight spaces to a safe landing: “That guy was just phenomenal.”

Kyle said most of the neighbourhood came out to help. “It was a community effort. No harm, no mess, no foul.”

Sundance Balloons president Barry McGonigle said the balloon lifted off from north London intending to land south of the city. Instead, the pilot had to land in the city when the wind died suddenly and unexpectedly.

“The weather this weekend was crazy nice and then the wind dropped off to almost zero,” ­McGonigle said.

He said an in-city landing ­happens, “occasionally, but not very often.”

The massive balloon, held aloft with air heated by a propane burner, holds more than 7,000 cubic metres of air.

He said the pilot has

“many, many, many years” of ­experience.

“There was no damage to the balloon, no damage to the property, no damage or injury to people,” McGonigle said.

And passengers still got their customary post-flight champagne toast.

dvanbrenk@postmedia.com