Three people were left dead as a result of a collision between two helicopters that were battling a fire in California, according to fire department officials.
The collision included a Bell 407 helicopter and a Sikorsky S-64E helicopter, which had been among the handful of helicopters sent to respond to a fire that had broken out in the community of Cabazon, California, David Fulcher, the Southern Region Chief for CalFire said during a press conference Sunday evening, according to CNN. Fulcher confirmed that the members aboard one of the helicopters died.
“The first helicopter was able to land safely nearby,” Fulcher said during the press conference. “Unfortunately, the second helicopter crashed, and tragically all three members perished.”
Three people have been killed after two helicopters collided while fighting a fire in Southern California, officials say https://t.co/TQ42GtxsrF
— CNN Breaking News (@cnnbrk) August 7, 2023
A CalFire division fire chief, a CalFire captain, and a contracted pilot were said to be the three who had been on the helicopter that crashed.
The two helicopters had been among six other aircraft responding to a vegetation fire that had broken out on Broadway Ave which covered around 3 acres. Officials from the fire department responded to the fire around 6:30 p.m., according to a CalFire post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
To date, CalFire has responded to 327,203 emergencies and 3,880 wildfires. Roughly 95, 948 acres have been burned, along with four structures said to have been destroyed, according to the CalFire website.
A second fire started by the crash had been put out, Fulcher said during the press conference.
“I would like to express our deepest sympathies and sorrow to the families and coworkers of the personnel, Fulcher said during the press conference, adding that it was a “tragic loss” to the community and the fire communities of CalFire and the Riverside County Fire Department.