Two firefighters killed as helicopter crashes near Utah wildfire

A Sikorsky S-64 helicopter fighting the Widemouth 2 Fire crashed near Richfield, Utah, around 10 a.m. local time Friday, killing the two firefighters aboard. Federal Aviation Administration officials said two people were on the aircraft as it worked over the blaze in central Utah.

The crash unfolded near a wildfire that has already forced large-scale response across Millard and Sevier counties. The Widemouth 2 Fire started July 27 in Millard County, then expanded quickly. By Aug. 2, it had grown to about 36,000 acres and was threatening roughly 1,000 homes in Millard County. Later wildfire mapping placed it at about 84,408.8 acres and 0% contained, burning between Widemouth Canyon and Limekiln Canyon about 6 miles southwest of Kanosh.

Emergency crews could not immediately reach the crash site because fire activity made conditions too dangerous. That delay underscores one of the hardest realities of aerial firefighting: the aircraft are often sent into the most unstable parts of a fire, where smoke, heat, shifting winds, steep terrain and low visibility can turn a routine water or retardant drop into a fatal mission in seconds.

The crash now raises the questions that follow every aviation death on the fire line. Investigators will have to reconstruct the helicopter’s route, altitude, weather conditions, communications, maintenance history and the specific assignment it was carrying out over the Widemouth 2 Fire. They will also look at how close the aircraft was operating to the most active edge of the blaze and whether the fire’s rapid spread changed the crew’s options in flight.

Utah’s wildfire system has been pushed hard by the pace of this fire season. The Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands is responsible for wildland fire response in the state, and the Fishlake National Forest had already issued a closure order around the Widemouth 2 Fire area as the blaze spread. A memorial escort was planned to honor the helicopter crew killed while fighting the fire, a solemn reminder of how often the public depends on crews performing one of the most dangerous jobs in the West.