A national fire agency confirmed that two people aboard a Sikorsky S64 helicopter died after the aircraft crashed in Sevier County on Friday, Aug. 7. The aircraft was assigned to the Widemouth 2 Fire at the time of the accident.
According to a social media statement released by the National Interagency Fire Center on Saturday, the helicopter was on contract with the United States Forest Service when the accident occurred outside of Kanosh. The statement noted that both the pilot and a crewmember were fatally injured.
The crash, which occurred at approximately 10 a.m. on Friday, reportedly caused a new fire. The Sevier County Sheriff’s Office stated during a news conference at 5:05 p.m. Friday that responders were unable to reach the crash site due to the active fire, which created life-threatening conditions for first responders.
The National Forest Service reported that as of Saturday morning, access to the fire site remained unavailable due to safety concerns. While the National Interagency Fire Center has confirmed the deaths, the U.S. Forest Service – Fishlake National Forest and the Sevier County Sheriff’s Office had not confirmed the fatalities as of the report published August 8.
The Sikorsky S64 is a heavy-load aircraft, often referred to as a sky crane, with a length exceeding 70 feet.
In a statement on Friday, Governor Spencer Cox addressed the dangers faced by wildland firefighters, stating that the profession is among the most dangerous jobs in the world and noting that the incident serves as a painful reminder of the risks taken by firefighters.
