Utah wildfire hampers rescuers from reaching crashed firefighting helicopter
More than 24 hours after a firefighting helicopter crashed in Utah, the fate of two people aboard remains unknown as a massive wildfire keeps rescue teams from safely reaching the site.
A Sikorsky S-64 helicopter contracted by the US Forest Service crashed Friday in a remote part of central Utah while working the Widemouth 2 wildfire. More than a day later, rescuers still have not been able to safely reach the crash site, and the fate of two people who were aboard remains unconfirmed.
The Widemouth 2 fire, ignited by lightning in late July, is among the largest currently burning in the country. As of Saturday it had scorched more than 114,600 acres (about 46,400 hectares) and was 24% contained, up from a reported size of over 105,000 acres on Friday morning.
The helicopter crash sparked a new fire, and the crash site now sits within the larger blaze's perimeter. The US Forest Service said ground crews tried to reach the site immediately after the crash but were blocked by the newly ignited fire. With no established safety zone, incident managers decided not to risk responders' lives until the area could be deemed safe.
Federal officials have urged the public not to speculate about what caused the crash while search-and-rescue teams wait for fire conditions to improve. The National Interagency Fire Center said in a Saturday report that the helicopter's pilot and one crew member were fatally injured, and a moment of silence was held at a briefing that morning in their honor. The Forest Service, however, has declined to confirm the passengers' status, citing false reports and rumors already circulating and stressing the need to avoid speculation out of respect for those involved.
Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board were traveling to Richfield, a city about 160 miles (250km) south of Salt Lake City, and plan to document the scene and recover the aircraft once access is possible.
The wildfire season has already proven deadly across the western United States. In June, three firefighters died battling a blaze along the Colorado-Utah border, and a fourth later died from burn injuries suffered during that response.
