Firefighting community honors pilots killed in crash near Widemouth 2 fire

SALT LAKE CITY — Members of Utah's wildland firefighting community as well as other first responders and members of local law enforcement gathered Friday to honor two pilots killed while helping battle the Widemouth 2 Fire, holding a procession one week after a crash near Richfield claimed their lives.

Miles Elliott, 50, of Porterville, California, and Chris Andersen, 64, of Stateline, Nevada, died when their aircraft went down Aug. 7 in the Fishlake National Forest.

The two pilots were assigned from Cleveland National Forest to assist crews battling the wildfire in central Utah.

Utah Highway Patrol led the procession, which included emergency vehicles from the U.S. Forest Service, the state wildland fire service, Unified Fire Authority and other agencies.

"This has been a difficult week for our wildland fire community, but today brings a little bit of closure to what we've been dealing with and working with the families, and it's an honor to be able to take them home," said Sierra Hellstrom, a U.S. Forest Service fire communications specialist with the Great Basin geographic area.

Hellstrom said the loss has been especially painful because many firefighters and support personnel had worked closely with the pilots on the Widemouth 2 Fire in the days leading up to the crash.

"Our Northern Utah team had been down working on the Widemouth 2 Fire with these pilots up until almost the day of the accident," Hellstrom said. "You become really close very quickly with the people you work with. I personally have hours of footage of them dropping buckets to save the community of Kanosh the night it jumped Kanosh Canyon."

As the procession moved through the area, community members lined the route to pay their respects.

Richard Gilbert, who watched the procession, said he was moved by the sacrifices made by firefighters and aviation crews.

"It's very emotional to me because what they do and what you see them doing, the lives that they save and the sacrifices they make for all of us, that means something to me," Gilbert said. "When they drive by you, you start to well up. You think, 'Wow.' It's a neat experience to see," he added.

Hellstrom said firefighters throughout the region have been grieving the loss, noting that strong bonds form quickly during wildfire assignments.

"It doesn't have to be a long relationship to be part of the fire family here," she said. "We're all feeling all of the feelings today and the love and the support and the pain of what it means to make the ultimate sacrifice."

The crash remains under investigation.

Hellstrom said aviation is one of the most dangerous roles in wildland firefighting.

"We don't know what caused the accident, but they were flying in incredibly difficult conditions, and they were instrumental in saving that community," she said.

Gilbert said the ceremony served as a reminder of the risks first responders face in protecting others.

"That's the sad part," he said. "They gave their life for another, to show that they have a true passion about what they do."

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