A HOT AIR BALLOON PLT HAD A PROPANE FIRE ON THE GND. THE BALLOON FLEW AWAY UNMANNED AFTER THE 3 PAX AND PLT LEFT THE ACFT.

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THE PROBLEM INVOLVED 2 PLTS AND 2 BALLOONS. PRIOR TO INFLATION; THE 2 BALLOONS WERE PREFLTED BY THE PLTS (ONE BALLOON BY EACH PLT). IT WAS THEN DECIDED TO SWITCH WHO WOULD FLY WHICH BALLOON. I INFLATED THE BALLOON PREFLTED BY THE OTHER PLT. I DID NOT GO THROUGH MY OWN CHKLIST PRIOR TO INFLATING THE BALLOON. I ON-LOADED MY 3 PAXS AND; BEFORE TKOF; OBSERVED A FIRE AT THE HOSE CONNECTION TO THE BURNER. I SHUT OFF THE FUEL TO THE BURNER; BUT BEFORE I COULD EXTINGUISH THE FLAME MY PAXS EXITED THE BASKET. THE BALLOON NOW BEING LIGHTER BY 3 PEOPLE STARTED TO LIFT OFF. MY CREW COULD NOT HOLD ME AND THE BALLOON ON THE GND. AT THIS POINT; I ALSO EXITED THE BASKET. THE BALLOON THEN ROSE TO APPROX 500 FT AGL WITHOUT A PLT ON BOARD. THE FIRE WENT OUT DUE TO THE FUEL BEING SHUT OFF AND THE BALLOON LANDED IN A FARMER'S FIELD AFTER A 20 MIN FLT WITH ME IN HOT PURSUIT. I CLBED ON BOARD AND TIGHTENED THE HOSE CONNECTION TO THE BURNER. THIS BALLOON HAD A DOUBLE BURNER SYS AND THE SECOND BURNER'S HOSE CONNECTION WAS PROPERLY TIGHTENED AT PREFLT BY THE OTHER PLT. I FLEW THE BALLOON TO A BETTER SITE FOR RETRIEVAL. DAMAGE TO THE BALLOON BURNER SYS WAS MINIMAL. LESSON LEARNED: NEVER ASSUME SOMEONE HAS DONE YOUR JOB FOR YOU. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO. THE PLT STATED THAT HE HAD TAKEN OVER THE BALLOON AFTER IT HAD BEEN 'COLD INFLATED.' HE ASSUMED THAT THE OTHER PLT HAD DONE A PROPER 'SNIFF CHK' OF THE FUEL SYS TO CHK FOR FUEL LEAKS. AS THERE WAS A 'STREAM OF FIRE' FALLING FROM THE BURNER INTO THE BASKET; THE PAX RIGHTFULLY EXITED THE SCENE. AS THIS MADE THE BALLOON LIGHT; THE PLT FOLLOWED. HE STATES THAT HE COULD HAVE BLASTED THE FUEL OUT OF THE LINE OR USED THE FIRE EXTINGUISHER; THINGS THAT HE WOULD HAVE DONE INFLT. THE ACFT DAMAGE WAS LIMITED TO THE FUEL HOSE.