TRAGEDY

Two Dead After Helicopter Crashes in Popular National Park

The crew was battling a large wildfire when the aircraft went down.

A helicopter carrying a wildfire-fighting crew crashed on Sunday while battling a blaze in Yosemite National Park, killing two crew members, the U.S. Forest Service said. The crew worked for the aviation company Flyprecision. “It is with unimaginable sadness and broken hearts that we share the loss of two beloved members of our team,” the company’s Instagram account posted. “We are devastated by this loss and are struggling to find the words.” The two deceased were the only people on board when the Eurocopter AS32 helicopter went down just before 3 p.m. PT. The pilots were conducting suppression operations on the Dome Fire in Yosemite. The identities of the victims have not been released. The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the crash. Wildfire authorities report that the Dome Fire increased by 283 acres Saturday night and was 3,222 acres and 15 percent contained as of Monday morning.