Heatwave fueling wildfires across California
California declares state of emergency; Jeff Paul reports.
A helicopter battling one of the hundreds of fires in California crashed Wednesday morning, killing the pilot and briefly causing another small brush fire, reports said.
The Bell UH-1 helicopter was on a water-dropping mission for the 1,500-acre Hills fire when it crashed about nine miles south of the city of Coalinga around 10 a.m., according to officials.
"The pilot was the only person aboard the helicopter and did not survive the incident," said Cal Fire spokesman, Daniel Berlant.
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The helicopter was one of six fighting the blaze in Fresno County, which has been difficult to both reach and contain because of extreme temperatures, steep terrain, and limited access, fire officials added.
The pilot, whose name has yet to be released, was working with Fillmore based Guardian Helicopters. The aircraft had a contract by Cal Fire to provide emergency services when needed, said Zoe Keliher, an investigator with the National Transportation Safety Board.
The crash reportedly ignited a small brush fire that would grow to roughly 50 acres and spread towards the Hills fire, officials told the Los Angeles Times.
Air and ground resources responded immediately to the crash site. An investigation is being conducted by the NTSB and assisted by Cal Fire.
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The crash occurred as crews worked in extreme heat Wednesday to extinguish the blazes across Northern California that sent thousands of people from their homes into the smoky air.
Hundreds of fires are now burning across California, with 23 said to be major or groups of fires. Gov. Gavin Newsom blamed them on "this extraordinary weather that we’re experiencing and all of these lightning strikes.”
Seen in a long exposure photograph, embers burn along a hillside as the LNU Lightning Complex fires tear through unincorporated Napa County, Calif., on Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2020. Fire crews across the region scrambled to contain dozens of wildfires sparked by lightning strikes as a statewide heat wave continues. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
Berlant said the crash highlights just how dangerous fighting fires can be, according to the paper.
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“We take extreme measures to ensure the safety of our firefighters and of course our contractors, so when an accident occurs, it just reminds us of just how dangerous this mission is,” he said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
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