Two helicopter pilots who were battling the Widemouth 2 wildfire in Utah were confirmed dead after their Sikorsky Skycrane crashed Friday morning, Sevier County officials said Saturday.
The aircraft was one of several helicopters supporting suppression efforts in Fishlake National Forest. State officials said the crash sparked a separate fire that spread and merged with the main blaze. The larger incident has now scorched nearly 174 square miles (about 451 km²).
Authorities have not released the pilots' names. Officials said both were employees of Helicopter Transport Services, a contractor working under the U.S. Forest Service.
Responders were initially unable to reach the crash site because of active fire and hazardous conditions. On Saturday, ground crews were able to enter the area and confirm the fatalities, the Sevier County sheriff and coroner said.
The Widemouth 2 fire has burned more than 114,600 acres (roughly 46,400 hectares) and was reported 24% contained as of Saturday — an increase from earlier reports when the blaze exceeded 105,000 acres.
State officials said the helicopter's crash ignited a new blaze within the larger fire perimeter.
"Ground resources attempted to respond immediately, but access to the scene was compromised by the emergent fire," the U.S. Forest Service said in a Saturday statement. "Without a safety zone, the Incident Management Team determined not to place lives at risk until the area is deemed safe."
Federal authorities urged the public to avoid speculation about the cause while search-and-rescue and investigative teams waited for conditions to improve.
Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) were reported en route to Richfield, about 160 miles (250 km) south of Salt Lake City. When safe access is possible, investigators will document the scene and recover the aircraft. NTSB officials said a full determination of the cause could take a year or longer.
Context
The western United States has experienced a deadly wildfire season this year. In June, three firefighters died fighting a blaze near the Colorado–Utah border; a fourth firefighter later died from burn-related injuries sustained during that response.
