YOSEMITE VALLEY, Calif. — Two crew members were killed after their helicopter crashed while fighting the Dome Fire at Yosemite National Park, officials said on Monday.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration, the Eurocopter Super Puma helicopter crashed in Mariposa, California, at about 2:55 p.m. PT on Sunday, The New York Times reported.
The Dome Fire has burned more than 3,200 acres since it began on Sept. 15, according to the newspaper.
The Dome Fire Incident Command Team identified the victims as Greg King, 56; and Ryan Cutter, KMPH reported. The crew members worked for Precision, a private aviation company that was under contract with U.S. Forest Service, according to Adrienne Freeman, a spokesperson for the agency.
At the time of the crash, they were engaged in “bucket work,” which involves scooping water out of a lake or river to dump on the fire, she said.
The Alaska Division of Forestry and Fire Protection called King a “cherished member of our wildland fire family,” who had deep ties to the agency, where close members of his family work.
“Greg was a dedicated aviator and a dear friend to many of us,” the division said in a statement. “We are mourning both pilots who bravely supported firefighting efforts, and our hearts go out to their families. We are standing alongside our staff and Greg’s loved ones as we grieve this profound tragedy together.”
“It is with unimaginable sadness and broken hearts that we share the loss of two beloved members of our team,” Fly Precision said in a social media post. “We are devastated by this loss and are struggling to find the words. We ask for privacy and compassion for their families and our team as we grieve this tremendous loss.
“Please keep their families, loved ones, and our entire team in your thoughts and prayers during this incredibly difficult time.”
The Super Puma helicopter was using a water bucket to help control the fire when it went down southeast of Ostrander Lake, Benjamin Cossel, a spokesperson with the Federal Complex Incident Management Team, told KCRA.
The National Transportation Safety Board confirmed it was investigating the crash, the Times reported. The agency added that it would send investigators to the scene when fire conditions permitted, and that a preliminary report would be released within 30 days.
The remains of the pilots were successfully recovered Monday afternoon, Cossel told ABC News.
“This is extremely challenging on everybody here,” Cossel said. “The wildland firefighting world is an extremely small community. We all know each other, and if we don’t know each other, it’s just because we haven’t met each other yet.
" So this is devastating to the wildland firefighting community, and we’re all doing our best to get through it right now.”
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