A Greenfield Fire Captain Kyle Phelps hands a drone back to licensed drone operator Sean Alessandri who was shooting footage for WWLP News 22 around the Greenfield Common when his drone got caught in a tree.  July 25, 2018
A Greenfield Fire Captain Kyle Phelps hands a drone back to licensed drone operator Sean Alessandri who was shooting footage for WWLP News 22 around the Greenfield Common when his drone got caught in a tree. July 25, 2018 Credit: Recorder Staff/Paul Franz

One lane of Bank Row was closed for about an hour Wednesday afternoon as Greenfield firefighters retrieved a drone that had flown into the top of a tree on the Greenfield Common.

Licensed drone operator Sean Alessandri, who was shooting video for WWLP News around  the Common, was just finishing up when his drone became entangled in the tree just after noon. It was unclear whether the weather had anything to do with the crash, but winds were gusting at the time.

The Greenfield Fire Department sent a tower truck to the scene. Firefighter Greg Diefendorf guided the platform at the end of the telescopic ladder just over the eagle monument in the center of the Common and into the crown of the tree holding the drone. He used a pike to retrieve the quad copter.  The seemingly undamaged aerial vehicle was returned Alessandri. Greenfield Police directed traffic during the operation.

Paul Franz is the Photo Editor of the Greenfield Recorder and has worked there since 1989. He can be reached at pfranz@recorder.com