Two Pilots Killed As Firefighting Helicopter Crashes Battling Utah Wildfire

Two helicopter pilots died after their aircraft crashed while they were helping fight a wildfire in Fishlake National Forest, officials confirmed on Saturday. The Sikorsky Skycrane helicopter went down on Friday morning while operating over the fire zone, according to the Sevier County Sheriff’s Office.

The pilots’ identities were not immediately disclosed. Authorities said they were employed by Helicopter Transport Services, a company contracted by the United States Forest Service to assist with wildfire operations. Emergency personnel were initially unable to reach the crash site because flames and dangerous conditions made the area inaccessible.

Crews entered the affected area on Saturday and confirmed both deaths, according to the Sevier County sheriff and coroner. The crash ignited another fire that spread and merged with the original blaze. The combined wildfire has now scorched nearly 174 square miles, or approximately 451 square kilometres.

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The National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the accident once its team is able to access and examine the wreckage. Investigators are expected to review the aircraft, flight operations, weather and other available evidence. Officials said it could take the agency a year or longer to determine the cause of the crash.

Several other wildfires were burning across the western United States. In Washington, the National Park Service closed access to the Sunrise and White River areas of Mount Rainier National Park after a new fire burned less than one-third of a square mile. Fires near Spokane had meanwhile scorched more than 15.63 square miles, though crews constructed over 75 miles of containment lines.

In Oregon, hot and dry weather helped an uncontrolled wildfire spread across more than 30 square miles. Firefighters battling the Wrights Spring fire were mourning 47-year-old bulldozer operator Jason Ensign, who died after the rapidly expanding blaze cut off his escape route. Farther north in British Columbia, Canada, more than 20,000 people were ordered to evacuate ahead of another fast-moving wildfire.

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