Helicopter with 2 on board crashes near Widemouth 2 Fire

RICHFIELD — A helicopter carrying two people crashed near a massive wildfire burning in central Utah on Friday, federal aviation officials confirmed.

About 10 a.m., a Sikorsky S64 helicopter crashed in Richfield, Federal Aviation Administration officials said in a statement. It's unclear what caused the crash, and the condition of the two on board was not immediately known.

A spokesperson for Great Basin Team 2, the team assigned to the Widemouth 2 Fire in Millard County, confirmed the unspecified incident to KSL earlier on Friday.

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.

The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the crash.

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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