A heavy-lift helicopter carrying two people crashed while battling a wildfire in Utah, as firefighters across the US West faced rapidly spreading blazes and dangerous weather conditions, officials said Friday.There was no immediate information on the condition of the two people aboard the helicopter, with emergency crews unable to reach the crash site because of the ongoing fire.
Helicopter crashes during firefighting operation
According to The Associated Press, the Sikorsky S-64 helicopter, also known as the Skycrane, was among seven aircraft deployed to fight a lightning-sparked wildfire in central Utah. It crashed near Richfield, about 160 miles (258 km) south of Salt Lake City, the Federal Aviation Administration said.The helicopter had been operating in steep terrain when it went down, according to Tyler Hecht of the Great Basin Incident Management Team. The crash also sparked another fire in the area.Officials said flying conditions were suitable at the time of the crash, although they did not know how long the helicopter had been airborne before the incident.Firefighting operations were temporarily suspended following the crash but later resumed. Crews were unable to reach the wreckage because of the flames but hoped to access the site within 24 hours.“We didn’t want to put them at bigger risk,” Sevier County Sheriff Nathan Curtis said.The National Transportation Safety Board and FAA are expected to investigate the crash. The S-64 Skycrane is a heavy-lift helicopter widely used for firefighting and can be equipped with tanks to drop water or fire retardant.
Utah blaze spreads across 165 square miles
The Fishlake National Forest fire near the small community of Kanosh in Utah had grown to about 165 square miles (427 sq km) by Friday morning and was 19 per cent contained.More than 600 firefighters were battling the blaze, which sparked evacuations and destroyed at least six structures as it spread through timber, brush and grass.Fire crews were warned about erratic winds, dry vegetation, high temperatures and the possibility of dry thunderstorms and lightning. Red flag warnings were also in effect.Months of dry weather, record-low snowfall in some areas, heatwaves and unpredictable winds have contributed to wildfires across Utah and other parts of the western US.Four firefighters were killed and another injured in June after being caught by a fast-moving wildfire in Colorado. They had attempted to protect themselves using emergency fire shelters as flames overtook their position.
Oregon wildfire kills bulldozer operator
Meanwhile, a separate wildfire in Oregon killed a 47-year-old bulldozer operator on Thursday. Jason Ensign was operating a dozer for a timber company when the Wrights Spring fire grew rapidly and cut off his escape route, the local sheriff’s department said.The fire started Wednesday in south-central Oregon, east of Chiloquin. By Friday, it had burned nearly 14 square miles (36 sq km) and remained completely uncontained, according to the US Forest Service.Officials said extremely hot and dry weather had contributed to erratic fire behaviour.