A Sikorsky S-64 firefighting helicopter crashed near Richfield, Utah, while supporting suppression efforts on the Widemouth 2 Fire, killing the two people on board. The heavy-lift aircraft was operating in central Utah on Friday morning when it went down in remote terrain near the Fishlake National Forest, prompting a Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board investigation.
The helicopter was one of several aircraft assigned to the wildfire, which began after a lightning strike on 27 July and had burned through a large area of central Utah. Initial reports said rescuers could not safely reach the wreckage because of fire conditions, and the condition of the crew was not immediately known. Later coverage confirmed both occupants were fatally injured.
The crash occurred near the Three Creeks Reservoir area, close to the south-eastern edge of the fire perimeter. Investigators will examine the wreckage once the site becomes accessible. The incident adds to a difficult period for wildfire operations in the western US, with a separate fatal bulldozer accident also reported on another fire in Oregon.