Firefighting helicopter with 2 on board crashes near Widemouth 2 Fire

RICHFIELD — A firefighting helicopter carrying two people crashed near a massive wildfire burning in central Utah on Friday.

About 10 a.m., a Sikorsky S-64 helicopter crashed in Richfield, Federal Aviation Administration officials said in a statement.

Great Basin Team 2 officials confirmed that a firefighting helicopter crashed near the Widemouth 2 Fire on the Fishlake National Forest, but the condition of the two on board was not immediately known.

Emergency personnel are trying to reach the scene, but Sevier County Sheriff's noted that "fire conditions do not allow access" to it.

"We are coordinating with the fire incident command to determine when it is safe to go in. This is an ongoing investigation," the sheriff's office wrote.

A witness told KSL they saw smoke coming from a site near where a helicopter had flown over Friday morning. Photos from the area showed a plume of smoke above a hill.

Sikorsky S-64, more commonly known as a Skycrane, is a heavy-lift helicopter model commonly used for firefighting operations with a bucket or fixed tank configurations, according to Siller Helicopters. It's unclear what caused the crash, which will be investigated by the FAA and National Transportation Safety Board.

Seven helicopters were assigned to the fire on Friday, along with 23 engines, nine dozers and nine water tenders among 632 total personnel.

The Widemouth 2 Fire started by a lightning strike within Fishlake National Forest near Kanosh, Millard County on July 27, but it spiked over the past week, as hot, dry and sometimes windy conditions returned to the region.

It has now burned 106,450 acres and will likely surpass the Babylon Fire as the state's largest fire this year.

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