ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- Hundreds of balloonists at a week-long fiesta mourned four people who died in a balloon that burst into flames possibly because of a broken fuel line or valve, witnesses said.
The Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta continued as scheduled Monday, the day after the deaths, but the balloonists were subdued as they joined in a prayer for the victims.
Fiesta board member Gail Short said the fiesta would continue despite the accident. 'To do anything else would diminish the joy that ballooning has brought to each one (of the victims),' she said. 'Though we are saddened and discouraged, we will fly today.'
Another board member, Aubrey Cookman, said balloonists are usually noisy and full of pranks, but 'I didn't see any of that today. Everybody is still shocked and upset.'
Cookman said the fiesta board was considering several suggestions for a way to remember the victims, such as a memorial service.
The four victims -- Dick Wirth and Christina Robinson, both of London, England; and Nick and Pamela Brainard of Albuquerque -- were among nine people aboard the 140,000-cubic-foot balloon that burst into flames just after landing in an alfalfa field near the Rio Grande following a 90-minute ride.
Cookman said the funerals of Wirth and Miss Robinson were scheduled for noon Wednesday. He said a prayer would be offered at Cutter Field, headquarters for the fiesta, to coincide with the funeral. He said services for the Brainards were being planned by Brainard's parents, Mr. and Mrs. W. Lee Brainard, but he did not know when they would be held or whether they would be private or public.
The five survivors jumped to safety while the balloon was on or near the ground, but the victims plummeted to their deaths after the balloon was high in the air.
One survivor, Vincent Shortt, a Grover, N.C., film producer, said the landing included a 'light bump' that is common in balloon flights, and then 'things started to happen pretty fast.'
'Something seemed to give way on top of one of the propane tanks,' Shortt said. 'My guess is that it was some sort of equipment failure. Maybe one of the lines or a valve came loose.
'The result was that it released raw propane throughout the gondola. And when the propane reached the burners, we had a flash fire.'
He said the balloon began rising and when it was 10-20 feet in the air, he pushed out a woman and jumped out himself. He was closely followed, he said, by balloon pilot Joe Gonzales of Albuquerque.
'Joe and I were both on fire, and we worked on putting each other's flames out,' said Shortt, who was hospitalized in fair condition with burns and bruises.
