Pilots of helicopter that crashed while fighting wildfire in Utah are dead, officials say

Two helicopter pilots who crashed while they were fighting a wildfire in Utah are dead, officials confirmed Saturday. The pilots were killed when their Sikorsky Skycrane helicopter went down Friday morning, according to the Sevier County Sheriff. The helicopter was among those fighting a fire in the Fishlake National Forest. The crash ignited a new fire that spread to connect with the existing blaze, which has now scorched nearly 174 square miles (nearly 451 square kilometers). Officials did not identify the pilots but said they were employed by Helicopter Transport Services, which was contracted by the U.S.

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Scoop News DeskUtah · Published Sunday, August 9, 2026 at 3:47 PM UTCUpdated Monday, August 10, 2026 at 7:39 PM UTC

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Firefighters were still trying to identify the best places to set up containment lines around the Wrights Spring fire as they mourned the death of 47-year-old Jason Ensign, who was killed while operating a bulldozer for a timber company. Numerous fires also were burning in other parts of the West, including one that closed part of Mount Rainier National Park in Washington.

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