A hot-air balloon is believed to have caught fire and crashed in Virginia after colliding with a power line on Friday night, Virginia State police are searching for the wreckage, a pilot and two passengers after eyewitnesses said they saw the balloon in flames and heard screams for help.
Virginia State Police received calls about a balloon crash shortly before 8 pm, police spokeswoman Corinne Geller told a news conference.
She said a pilot and two passengers were believed to be on board, and that police believe it was the balloon’s gondola that caught fire after it apparently struck a power line.
She said police had not yet found any wreckage but planned to search throughout the night, initially by ground and by air if weather allowed.
The apparent crash happened near the Meadow Event Park in Caroline County, site of the Mid-Atlantic Balloon Festival, according to the news reports. The festival was scheduled to begin officially on Saturday, but was holding a special kickoff event Friday for a limited number of people.