Firefighting helicopter crashes near Richfield, crew missing

A firefighting helicopter crashed on Friday, August 7, while battling a massive wildfire in central Utah, leaving the fate of its two crew members unknown as dangerous conditions prevented rescuers from reaching the site. The Sikorsky S64 helicopter went down around 10 a.m. near Richfield, approximately 160 miles south of Salt Lake City, according to federal aviation authorities.

The aircraft was operating near the Widemouth 2 Fire, a blaze sparked by lightning on July 27 that has burned over 105,000 acres in the Fishlake National Forest. As of Friday, the fire was only 19 percent contained. Officials stated that the crash itself ignited a new fire, complicating rescue and recovery efforts.

Emergency personnel have been unable to access the crash scene due to the active, dangerous fire conditions. Tyler Hecht, a deputy incident commander with the Great Basin incident management team, described the terrain as very difficult during a Friday evening briefing. The Sevier County Sheriff's Office confirmed that fire conditions did not allow safe access to the scene and that they were coordinating with fire command to determine when an approach could be made.