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US wildfire firefighting helicopter fatalities

Updated 4 times since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

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2026-08-09 16:50 UTC → 2026-08-11 06:44 UTC · added removed

Wildfire firefighting efforts in the western United States have resulted in fatal helicopter crashes during the summer of 2026. In July, a firefighting pilot died when a Kaman K-1200 K-MAX helicopter crashed into the Silver Jack Reservoir in Gunnison County, Colorado, while battling the Gold Mountain Fire. The incident occurred during a period of high temperatures and dry conditions that led to multiple large fires across the state. On August 7, 2026, a Sikorsky S-64 Skycrane helicopter operated by Helicopter Transport Services under contract with the U.S. Forest Service crashed near Richfield, Utah, while battling the Widemouth 2 wildfire in the Fishlake National Forest. The crash killed both occurred at approximately 10:40 a.m. local time while the pilot and one crew member. aircraft was conducting water drops. The accident killed two pilots, identified as Miles Elliott of Porterville, California, and 64-year-old Christopher Andersen of Stateline, Nevada. The crash ignited a new fire that merged with the Widemouth 2 fire, which had been burning since a July 27 lightning strike and had consumed over 111,000 acres. Emergency response responders were initially unable to reach the Utah crash was delayed wreckage due to remote, the rugged, steep terrain and extreme fire conditions. the secondary fire; personnel were only able to access the site on Saturday to recover the remains. Utah Governor Spencer Cox noted that the incident highlights the extreme dangers inherent in wildland firefighting. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) are investigating the causes of these aviation accidents.

Versions

  1. 2026-08-11 06:44 UTC US wildfire firefighting helicopter fatalities
  2. 2026-08-09 16:50 UTC US wildfire firefighting helicopter fatalities
  3. 2026-08-09 11:42 UTC US wildfire firefighting helicopter fatalities
  4. 2026-08-09 05:51 UTC US wildfire firefighting helicopter fatalities
  5. 2026-08-09 04:42 UTC Utah firefighting helicopter crash kills two

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