Black Hawk crash near JBLM leaves four service members presumed dead

A U.S. Army MH-60 Black Hawk helicopter crashed during a routine training mission about 9 p.m. Wednesday in a rural area near Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington, and by Friday the Army said the four service members aboard were believed to be dead. The aircraft was assigned to the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, known as the Night Stalkers, the Army said, and recovery operations and an investigation into the cause are underway.

Army officials initially reported loss of contact with the helicopter late Wednesday and described the incident as an active, ongoing situation. Local authorities in Thurston County, which covers the Summit Lake area west of Olympia, said deputies were dispatched to reports of a possible crash and located the site. Thurston County Sheriff Derek Sanders posted that deputies reached the wreckage but were unable to continue rescue efforts because the scene was on fire and hot enough to overheat their footwear.

The crash site, located in a remote, rural area under the jurisdiction of Joint Base Lewis-McChord about 10 miles south of Tacoma, ignited a wildfire. The Washington Department of Natural Resources reported the blaze had grown to about 1...