Firefighting helicopter crashes while responding to Utah wildfire

Aug. 7 (UPI) — A firefighting helicopter carrying two people crashed on Friday while responding to a wildfire raging in central Utah, authorities said.

There is no word yet on the condition of the two firefighters, who were traveling aboard a Sikorsky S-64 helicopter in Richfield when it crashed about 10am.

“Today personnel are responding to an incident regarding firefighting aviation near the Widemouth 2 Fire,” Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said in a statement on X.

“Wildland firefighting is among the most dangerous jobs in the world,” Cox added. “Today is a painful reminder of the extraordinary risks these brave men and women accept to protect us.”

The U.S. Forest Service said more information would be released “as soon as it is available.”

“This is an emerging situation, and emergency personnel are on scene,” the agency said in a statement to The Salt Lake Tribune. “Our top priority is responding to the incident.”

The Widemouth 2 fire has been raging since July 27 and has burned more than 100,000 acres, KSTU reported.

The blaze has affected a huge stretch of the Fishlake National Forest.

As of Friday, the wildfire was considered 19% contained, The Tribune reported.

“At this time fire conditions do not allow access to the scene,” the Sevier County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement addressing the helicopter crash.

“We are coordinating with the fire incident command to determine when it is safe to go in,” the statement on Facebook added. “This is an ongoing investigation.”

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash.