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 A hot air balloon with 16 people aboard caught fire and crashed Saturday in central Texas, and there don't appear to be any survivors. 
 
 The balloon crashed into a pasture near some power lines around 7:40 a.m. local time (8:40 a.m. ET) near the town of Lockhart, the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement. 
 
 The partial frame of a hot air balloon is visible above a crop field as investigators comb the wreckage of a crash Saturday morning, July 30, 2016, near Lockhart, Texas. Ralph Barrera / AP 
 
 "The balloon was occupied and it does not appear at this time that there were any survivors of the crash," Caldwell County Sheriff Daniel Law said in a statement. "Investigators are determining the number and the identities of victims at this time." 
 
 The balloon was operated by Heart of Texas Hot Air Balloon Rides, according to the owner of the company's Facebook account. 
 
 The company said in a recorded phone message that its owner and chief pilot, Skip, was killed in the crash along with the passengers. 
 
 "Following the tragic loss of our beloved owner and chief pilot skip and our passengers this morning it is necessary to cancel all flights for the foreseeable future. Please understand that we are dealing with all the immediate circumstances of this tragedy," the recording said. "Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families of those who passed away with Skip." 
 
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 A short time later, Texas Gov. Gregg Abbott weighed-in on what he called a "heartbreaking tragedy." 
 
 "Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families, as well as the Lockhart community," Abbott said in a statement. "The investigation into the cause of this tragic accident will continue, and I ask all of Texas to join us in praying for those lost." 
 
 May God's restorative strength & grace be with the families affected by the tragic hot air balloon crash. #txlege https://t.co/1d2oPDVtj8 — Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) July 30, 2016 
 
 Margaret Wylie, who lives near the site of the crash about 30 miles south of Austin, said she knew something wasn't right when she heard a "pop." 
 
 "I looked, and the next thing — there was a big fireball," she said. 
 
 "I think the pops I heard was the balloon connecting with the power lines," Wylie told NBC News. 
 
 But Chris O'Neil, an NTSB spokesman, said it was "far too early to speculate about cause." 
 
 "We go through our investigative process without any preconceived notions," O'Neil told NBC News. "The facts lead us where they lead us." 
 
 O'Neil said 13 investigators had been dispatched to Texas, and a preliminary report would be released within 10 days. A conclusive report on the crash could take more than a year. 
 
 Map showing location of Lockhart, Texas. Google 
 
 "It's much like a crime scene," said Erik Grosof with the safety board. "You only get one chance at it so you have got to do it right." 
 
 He said the NTSB has categorized the crash as a major accident and would start a "full-bore" investigation on Sunday. The FBI has been called to assist and the FAA was already on-scene, he said. 
 
 Grosof said Saturday afternoon that there were a "number of fatalities" but he would not specify how many. 
 
 Heart of Texas Hot Air Balloon Rides has a Better Business Bureau rating of D+, mostly due to complaints about canceled flights. 
 
 Related: Texas Hot Air Balloon Crash: How Safe is the Aerial Activity? 
 
 If the death toll is confirmed, this would be the deadliest hot air balloon tragedy since February 2013, when one of these crafts caught fire while floating over Luxor, Egypt, killing 19 of the 21 on board. 
 
 In April of 2014, the NTSB recommended that the FAA strengthen ballooning regulations in order to "prevent accidents and save lives." At the time, the NTSB warned of "the potential for a high number of fatalities in a single air tour balloon accident," but the FAA rejected the recommendations, saying the risks were too low. 
 
 A month later, three people were killed when a hot air balloon hit a power line, exploded and crashed in eastern Virginia. The deadliest U.S. hot air balloon incident before Saturday occurred near Aspen, Colorado, in 1993 when a balloon hit a power line and plunged 100 feet to the ground, killing six. ||||| LOCKHART, Texas (AP) — The Latest on the hot air balloon that crashed in Central Texas (all times local): 
 
 12:10 p.m. 
 
 The site of a hot air balloon crash in Central Texas appears to be directly under large power lines. 
 
 Authorities have said there are likely no survivors after a hot air balloon carrying at least 16 people caught fire and crashed near Lockhart on Saturday morning. 
 
 The land near the crash site is mostly farmland, with corn crops and grazing cattle. 
 
 Cutting through that farmland is a row of massive, high-capacity transmission lines, and the site of the crash appears to be right below the overhead lines. 
 
 Authorities are investigating the crash, and have not yet provided further details. A large number of law enforcement personnel is at the scene. 
 
 ___ 
 
 12 p.m. 
 
 Texas Gov. Greg Abbott says in a statement that he and the first lady are extending their condolences following a hot air balloon crash in which authorities say there are likely no survivors. 
 
 Abbott said in a statement Saturday that he and his wife, Cecilia Abbott, "extend our deepest condolences" for those affected" by the "heartbreaking tragedy." 
 
 Authorities have said there are likely no survivors after a hot air balloon carrying at least 16 people caught fire and crashed near Lockhart on Saturday morning. 
 
 Abbott says he and his wife's thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families, as well as the Lockhart community. He says, "The investigation into the cause of this tragic accident will continue, and I ask all of Texas to join us in praying for those lost." 
 
 ___ 
 
 11:05 a.m. 
 
 Authorities say it is likely there are no survivors after a hot air balloon carrying at least 16 people caught on fire and crashed in Central Texas. 
 
 The Caldwell County Sheriff's Office said in a statement Saturday that investigators are determining the number of victims and their identities. 
 
 Lynn Lunsford with the Federal Aviation Administration said in an earlier statement that the accident happened shortly after 7:40 a.m. Saturday near Lockhart, Texas, when the hot air balloon crashed into a pasture. Lunsford said there were at least 16 people on board. 
 
 Lunsford said that the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are going to the scene to investigate. 
 
 Lockhart is about 30 miles south of Austin. ||||| Sixteen people are dead after a large hot air balloon struck a high-voltage power line, caught fire and crashed in a pasture near Lockhart, Texas, this morning, according to Texas authorities and the Federal Aviation Administration. 
 
 The Caldwell County Sheriff's Office received a 911 call around 7:44 a.m. local time about a possible vehicle accident. The fire apparently broke out during flight in the basket portion of the hot air balloon. 
 
 Witnesses described hearing popping sounds and then seeing a blaze of flames. 
 
 "The popping sound was the balloon connecting with the electric lines and then by the time I turned and saw the fireball go up, the basket was on the ground," witness Margaret Wylie said. 
 
 "All you could tell it was a fire, a big ball of flames and you could tell nothing what it was or anything," witness Don Schulle said. 
 
 The Sheriff's Office said that investigators are still determining the number and the identities of victims. 
 
 ESRI/AP 
 
 The FAA said its investigators are on their way to the crash scene and the National Transportation Safety Board, which will be in charge of the investigation, has been notified. 
 
 A full team of 13 NTSB are expected to arrive at the scene on Sunday. 
 
 NTSB Go-Team to Texas balloon accident delayed by weather in DC. Expected to arrive Sunday mid-morning. Expect briefing later in day. — NTSB_Newsroom (@NTSB_Newsroom) July 31, 2016 
 
 "The FAA and NTSB do not release the names of pilots or passengers. Names will be released by local officials after relatives have been notified," FAA spokesperson Lynn Lunsford said in a statement. 
 
 The balloon was operated by the Heart of Texas Hot Air Balloon Rides. The company is owned by Skip Nichols, who regularly celebrated his love of flying, posting photos and videos on his Facebook page. There were tributes posted on his page tonight, remembering a "great pilot" and a man who had a "happy go lucky outlook on life." 
 
 Today's hot air balloon crash was the deadliest in U.S. history since NTSB records began in 1964. 
 
 Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and his wife expressed their sympathy in a statement, saying "[We] extend our deepest condolences for all those who have been affected by today’s heartbreaking tragedy. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families, as well as the Lockhart community." 
 
 My statement on the tragic and heartbreaking event in Lockhart today https://t.co/MzkKodw9vW pic.twitter.com/28PTBr7tZe — Gov. Greg Abbott (@GovAbbott) July 30, 2016 
 
 ABC News' Jeff Cook, Marilyn Heck and Josh Margolin contributed to this report.
– A hot air balloon has crashed in Texas, killing all 16 people aboard, NBC News reports. According to the ABC News, a fire started in the basket of the hot air balloon before the balloon crashed into a pasture near Lockhart, Texas, on Saturday morning. The site of the crash appears to be underneath large, high-capacity power lines, the AP reports. Their possible role in the incident is unclear. Officials are continuing to investigate the crash.