Hot Air Balloon Catches Fire And Crashes In Virginia

DOSWELL, Va. (AP) - Authorities say a hot-air balloon has possibly caught fire and crashed in Virginia and three people are unaccounted for.

Several local news media outlets quoted Virginia State Police spokeswoman Corinne Geller as saying that authorities received a report of the crash shortly before 8 p.m. Friday near Meadow Event Park in Caroline County.

Geller said a pilot and two passengers were believed to be in the balloon's gondola, and that according to witness accounts it was the gondola that caught fire. But she said police had not yet found any wreckage.

Geller said police would search for the balloon throughout the night, initially on the ground and possibly later by air if weather conditions improved. Severe storms were expected in the area.