YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, CA — Two helicopter pilots were killed Sunday afternoon when their aircraft crashed while dropping water on a wildfire at Yosemite National Park. Officials said the pilots were the only people aboard the helicopter, which was working in support of the fire response.
The aircraft belonged to contract operator Precision. One of the men killed was Greg King, a former Alaska Division of Forestry & Fire Protection employee who had fought multiple wildland fires in Alaska before joining the company.
Agency spokesperson Emery Johnson said King’s close relatives also work for the Alaska forestry agency and approved release of his name. The second pilot has not yet been identified.
Water bucket mission ended near a lake southeast of Ostrander Lake
Benjamin Cossel, a spokesperson for the Federal Complex Incident Management Team, said the Super Puma helicopter was using a water bucket to help suppress the fire when it went down near a lake. The crash site was southeast of Ostrander Lake.
That location is roughly 7 miles northeast of Wawona and about 9 miles south of Yosemite’s iconic El Capitan. Officials did not immediately release more details about what caused the helicopter to go down.
The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the crash. Authorities have not said whether weather, mechanical trouble or some other factor may have been involved.
Alaska firefighting agency remembers Greg King as a dedicated aviator
The Alaska Division of Forestry & Fire Protection called the deaths a devastating loss for the wildland firefighting community. In a statement, the agency described King as “a dedicated aviator and a dear friend to many of us.”
The agency said it was mourning both pilots who were supporting firefighting efforts and extended condolences to their families. The tone of the statement reflected the close ties many wildfire crews share across states and agencies.
Precision also posted on social media that it was “struggling to find the words.” The company asked for privacy and compassion for the families and its team as it grieves what it called a tremendous loss.
Dome Fire has drawn about 580 firefighters and is 15 percent contained
The helicopter was helping fight the Dome Fire, which started Sept. 15 near Wawona, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. About 580 people are assigned to the blaze, which has burned roughly 4.7 square miles.
Fire managers said the fire is about 15% contained. The helicopter crash happened as crews continued to work in difficult terrain around Yosemite National Park.
The response includes ground crews and aircraft aimed at keeping the fire from spreading farther. Officials have not said how the crash affected operations at the scene.
Firefighting deaths this year include incidents in Utah, Colorado, Oklahoma, Oregon and Minnesota
At least 14 people have died while helping fight wildfires in the United States this year, according to government reports. That is the highest total since 2022, when 25 deaths were recorded.
In August, two helicopter pilots were killed while helping fight a fire in Utah, and a helicopter pilot in Colorado died after crashing into a reservoir. Other deaths this month included a firefighter in Oklahoma who suffered a medical emergency, and a firefighter in Oregon who was struck by a falling tree while cutting it in Mt. Hood National Forest.
Additional deaths reported in August included a wildfire officer in Oklahoma who became trapped while evacuating a burning building, a firefighter in Minnesota who died after a medical emergency during a wildfire, and a bulldozer operator in Oregon who was overrun by flames. In June, four firefighters were trapped in a fire in western Colorado.
When the weather turns dangerous, SVH Snow is watching.
