OTTAWA (AFP) - Canada's Transportation Safety Board on Thursday called for new stricter rules for air balloons following several fiery hot crashes that claimed two lives and injured dozens last year.

The government agency said following the release of its interim report on an August 2007 crash landing near Winnipeg, in western Canada, that balloons should provide at least the same level of safety as small commercial aircraft.

As well, they should be equipped with an emergency fuel shutoff switch to reduce the risk of fire, it said.

"We believe these measures, if adopted, would enhance the safety of passengers on commercial balloon operations in Canada," Transportation Safety Board investigator Peter Hildebrand said at a press conference.

"Even a small aircraft, a fixed-wing aircraft, requires an emergency fuel shutoff. However, balloons do not," he said.

The August sightseeing flight on the outskirts of Winnipeg bounced several times on landing. The basket was then dragged 700 feet (210 meters) by strong winds before it flipped and burst into flames.

The pilot and two of 11 passengers suffered serious burns.

Less than two weeks later, a mother and daughter died when a hot air balloon burst into flames and crashed into a trailer park in westernmost British Columbia province.

Eleven others were also injured in the accident, with some of them seen in a shocking amateur video jumping from the mid-air inferno as it plummeted to the ground.

And in September, a pilot and eight passengers narrowly escaped injury after a gust of wind pushed their balloon into power lines in Calgary.

According to reports, there have been 15 serious hot air balloon crashes in Canada since 1997.

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