Firefighting aircraft crashes into Colorado reservoir during Gold Mountain Fire

A firefighting aircraft crashed into Silver Jack Reservoir in southwestern Gunnison County on Sunday afternoon, killing the pilot and cutting short a mission over the Gold Mountain Fire. More than 1,000 firefighters were working the blaze at the time, with the fire burning more than 35,600 acres and holding at 5% containment.

Emergency dispatchers received the call at about 5:15 p.m. to 5:17 p.m., according to the Gunnison County Sheriff’s Office. One pilot was believed to have been aboard, and the Montrose County Sheriff’s Office dive team later recovered the body. No one else was in the aircraft.

The Gold Mountain Fire started June 27 on private land near Ouray and quickly became one of the most disruptive fires in western Colorado this season. Ouray County declared a state of emergency, and local officials ordered mandatory evacuations while mobilizing a broader emergency operations response that included air tankers and Type II and Type III helicopters.

The crash landed in the middle of an aggressive aerial firefight. Colorado Parks and Wildlife had already announced that water scoop aircraft would use reservoir water to support suppression work in the area, a sign of how heavily crews were leaning on aviation to fight flames in steep terrain and hard-to-reach ground. Silver Jack Reservoir was part of that logistics chain, and boating restrictions were already being planned when aircraft began operating there.

The death adds another strain point to Colorado’s 2026 fire season, which has already forced evacuations and emergency declarations across multiple counties. The Gold Mountain Fire remained under investigation as crews continued to contend with shifting weather, difficult access and the risks that come with low-level flying over reservoirs, canyons and high mountain country.