Helicopter crash kills two firefighter pilots battling Yosemite wildfire
Two firefighting helicopter pilots died Sunday when their aircraft crashed while battling a wildfire in Yosemite National Park, California, officials confirmed.
The crash occurred around 2:55 p.m. local time near Ostrander Lake, about 7 miles northeast of Wawona and 9 miles south of El Capitan, according to Benjamin Cossel, a spokesperson for the Federal Complex Incident Management Team. The pilots, employed by aviation contractor Precision, were the only occupants and were conducting water drops to suppress the Dome Fire, which ignited on Sept. 15 near Wawona Dome. The fire spans roughly 4.7 square miles and was 15% contained as of Monday, with more than 580 personnel assigned to the effort.
One pilot was identified as Greg King, a former Alaska Division of Forestry & Fire Protection employee, according to agency spokesperson Emery Johnson. The second pilot’s name has not been released. Precision, the contractor operating the Eurocopter AS32, described the loss as devastating in a social media statement, adding, “We are struggling to find the words. We ask for privacy and compassion for their families and our team as we grieve this tremendous loss.”
The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the crash. Investigators have not yet reached the site due to ongoing fire conditions, authorities said. The park remains open, though some trails are closed and heavy smoke persists in the area.
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