2 Pilots killed while fighting Utah wildfire

[Faster horses]

Mon. July 2
Two Pilots Killed While Fighting Wildfire


Authorities say two pilots were killed when their air tanker crashed while fighting a wildfire in western Utah.

Iron County sheriff's Detective Sgt. Jody Edwards tells the Salt Lake Tribune that sheriff's deputies were able to reach the plane after the Sunday afternoon crash. Edwards says they confirmed that the pilots had died. The cause of the crash is unknown.

The pilots were dropping retardant on the 5,000-acre White Rock Fire, which began burning Friday night after a lightning strike in eastern Nevada. The fire spread across the Utah line Saturday night, but most of the blaze remains in Nevada.

The Bureau of Land Management says in a statement that the P-2V tanker went down shortly before 1 p.m. The plane is owned by Neptune Aviation Services, a Missoula, Mont.-based company.

 

[tumbleweed_texn]

I also heard that a C-130 that was fighting fires in the Blackhills crashed as well. The news was unclear on how many died. The Hostile Native said this morning she heard about another one that crashed. That is probably the one you posted about FH.

We were going to go to Rushmore to see the fireworks tomorrow, but they canceled the show. They finally prohibited the use of fireworks here in our county. They sure took their sweet time about it.

A week ago Sunday was our third hottest day on record.

107°
3% humidity.

The Belle Fourche river is drying up and nobody here has put up any hay. We had a small fire on us last week due to someone throwing a cigarette out. We only lost 5-6 acres. A neighbor lost 795 acres lastweek due to powerlines arcing out.

Tex

 

[mrj]

I read in Rapid City Journal earlier today that four have died from that crash near Edgemont, SD, and possibly more will, from tone of article.

Also, all those planes have been grounded till they figure out the problems. A man who believes he saw that plane just before it crashed said it came round a hill, went into a plume of smoke so he couldn't really see it, and shortly thereafter a plume of very black smoke went up. He believes it was that plane causing the black smoke.

Losing those tankers has to be very hard for the fire fighters to cope with, on both bases of emotional and necessity to fighting the fires.

Those fires tradgedies on so many levels, in that improper management of forests for decades of activist prevention of good management has set up the 'perfect storm' situation going on now. Prayers have been sent for all affected, as well as all people far removed from those areas who treasure those scenic places.

mrj

mrj