Yosemite National Park in California experienced the outbreak of the “Dome Fire” in early September. According to the U.S. Forest Service, on Sunday, September 20th, a helicopter involved in fighting the wildfire crashed, resulting in the tragic deaths of two crew members.
As reported by the fire management department, the burn area of the “Dome Fire” expanded by 283 acres last Saturday night. By Monday morning, the total burn area had reached 3222 acres with a containment rate of 15%.
Precision Aviation/Helicopter Company released a statement on Sunday announcing the loss of two team members in the firefighting accident. The company expressed deep sorrow over the incident, stating, “We are devastated by this loss.”
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) revealed that the crashed aircraft was an Eurocopter AS32 helicopter, which went down before 3:00 PM Pacific Time on Sunday afternoon.
Adrienne Freeman, spokesperson for the U.S. Forest Service, mentioned that the crew members were employed by the agency’s “Price Valley” Heli-Rappel Crew based in Idaho. The pilot was conducting firefighting operations for the Dome Fire in Yosemite National Park when the helicopter crashed. At the time of the incident, there were only two individuals on board.
Freeman stated that both the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will conduct investigations into the accident. The U.S. Forest Service will also be conducting its own inquiry into the matter.
The NTSB indicated that their investigators have not yet arrived at the crash site and will depart when “fire conditions permit.” The NTSB further mentioned that a preliminary report on the accident will be released within 30 days.