A North Brunswick man remained in critical condition today after the hot-air balloon he was piloting burst into flames, forcing him and another man to jump 65 feet to the ground during Albuquerque, N.M.'s annual balloon fiesta on Friday.

Keith Sproul, 49, is being treated at the University of New Mexico Hospital, according to Sam Giammo, spokesman for the hospital. His passenger, Stephen Lachendro of Butler, Pa. was killed in the leap.

The accident happened in Bernalillo, N.M., after Sproul was apparently trying to slow down as winds picked up. But the balloon hit a power line and erupted into a blaze, said Howard Freeman, executive producer of the annual Quick Chek New Jersey Festival of Ballooning in Readington, who has been in contact with pilots at the festival.

They have reported to Freeman that Sproul suffered multiple broken bones and burns. Lachendro's body had extensive burns as well.

Sproul's balloon, in the shape of a tetrahedron--an upside down pyramid, was among hundreds participating in Friday's events at the balloon fiesta, which ends today. Sproul, a longtime balloon enthusiast, designed and made the balloon, according to his website.

Watch the videos from the Albuquerque Journal and KRQE television in New Mexico

Sproul, who works at Rutgers University's Department of Earth & Planetary Sciences, had a very technical mind, Freeman said. He was into computers, gadgets, ham radios, and the technical aspects of ballooning.

"He's a very interesting person. A fascinating person," said Freeman, who knows Sproul through his activities on behalf of the Quick Chek New Jersey Festival.

For the annual summer gathering in Hunterdon County, Sproul provided computerized weather readings for fellow pilots, Freeman said. He is so well-liked, that the tailgate area for pilots is called Sproul-ville.

A woman who described herself as Sproul's mother-in-law declined to comment on the incident. Efforts to reach other family members were unsuccessful.

Sproul's passenger, Lachendro, was the father of three children. He worked in Ohio's Youngstown-Warren Air Reserve Station in the medical division.

Kathie Leyendecker, a spokeswoman for the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, could not be reached for comment yesterday.

The National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the crash.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.