Utah Helicopter Crash Kills 2 Firefighters as 7,000-Foot Terrain and Flames Delay Recovery
Updated
Updated · KSL.com · Aug 9
Utah Helicopter Crash Kills 2 Firefighters as 7,000-Foot Terrain and Flames Delay Recovery
3 articles · Updated · KSL.com · Aug 9
Summary
A Sikorsky S-64 crashed shortly after 10:30 a.m. Friday near the Widemouth 2 Fire outside Richfield, killing both firefighters on board; authorities confirmed the deaths early Saturday.
Fire and terrain slowed access to the site at more than 7,000 feet, with steep brush and trees forcing crews to pull responders back within 30 to 40 minutes to avoid additional deaths.
A Utah Department of Public Safety helicopter later flew in detectives and a medical examiner for a brief recovery, and the remains were taken to a UDOT yard before transfer to the medical examiner.
The victims' names have not been released pending identification and family notification, while the National Transportation Safety Board investigates the cause.
Fire crews remain heavily engaged around the crash site near the I-70 corridor, underscoring how active wildfire conditions complicated both confirmation and recovery.