Am I the only one bothered by a report that it was the pilot who jumped from the craft at 40 feet when it first caught fire, before it rose to 1000 feet, leaving the remaining occupants to fend for themselves?

Not being a bloon pilot, I can't possibly know what I might have done in that situation, but my instinct would have been to get the envelope leaking as quickly as possible, and keep it that way until everyone could jump safely. Even a hard landing from 40 feet would beat falling from 300 meters.