CABAZON, Calif. (AP) — Three individuals had been killed when two firefighting helicopters collided in Southern California on Sunday whereas combating a blaze in Riverside County.
One of many helicopters landed safely.
“Sadly, the second helicopter crashed and tragically all three members perished, which included one Cal Hearth Division chief, one Cal Hearth captain and one contract shopper pilot,” Cal Hearth Southern Area Chief David Fulcher stated throughout a information convention early Monday.
Fulcher didn’t determine the victims.
Cal Hearth and Riverside County Hearth Division sources had been dispatched to a construction hearth close to the intersection of Broadway Avenue and South Ronda Avenue locally of Cabazon, Fulcher stated.
That blaze unfold into the encircling vegetation and a full wildland hearth dispatch was initiated, which included fixed-wing and rotary-wing plane.
Whereas battling the blaze, the 2 helicopters collided. The crash triggered an extra 4-acre (1.6-hectare) hearth, which was extinguished.
“Though this was a tragic occasion, we’re additionally grateful right this moment that it wasn’t worse,” Fulcher stated. “The people within the first helicopter had been capable of capable of land safely with out incident and nobody else was damage.”
The helicopter pilot was performing work below contract with the California Division of Forestry and Hearth Safety, hearth captain and spokesman Richard Cordova stated Sunday night.
The crash is being investigated by the Nationwide Transportation Security Board.