Authorities in the state of Colorado, USA confirmed that a firefighting aircraft crashed into the Silver Jack Reservoir on Sunday afternoon (July 12), resulting in the death of the pilot.
The Montrose County Sheriff’s Office dive team has located and retrieved the pilot’s body, which will be sent to the Gunnison County Coroner’s Office for further examination.
Earlier, around 5:17 pm on Sunday, the Gunnison Area Communications Center received a report of the aircraft crash, indicating that a plane had gone down into the Silver Jack Reservoir in the southwest corner of the county.
Officials from the Gunnison County Sheriff’s Office stated that the aircraft was dispatched to the Gold Mountain wildfire in the southwest of Colorado. Initial information suggests that the pilot was the sole occupant on board.
Authorities are currently in the process of notifying the pilot’s family and have not yet disclosed the pilot’s identity. Investigators also have not revealed the cause of the aircraft crash. Law enforcement officers, investigators, and the Montrose County Sheriff’s Office dive team have been dispatched to the scene. Authorities mentioned that more information will be released after informing the pilot’s immediate family.
According to the data from the Interagency Wildland Fire Air Quality Response Program, as of Sunday, the Gold Mountain wildfire has consumed approximately 35,600 acres of land, with a containment rate of only 5%.
Parts of central, southern, and western Colorado are still experiencing a decrease in air quality and health threats due to the smoke from wildfires.
Fire departments have warned that the shifting winds in the coming days could spread the smoke to other communities, urging residents to stay updated on the latest air quality alerts.
This year, multiple states in the western United States have been hit by wildfires due to high temperatures, drought, and strong winds, leading to continuous deployment of aerial firefighting resources to major fire incidents.