A Marine Corps Super Cobra helicopter crashed in a remote area of the Cleveland National Forest in eastern San Diego County late Tuesday night killing the crew of two and starting a fire that burned one to two acres.
The 911 calls at around 11:40 p.m. reported a fire with explosions. While firefighters were responding to the area near Kitchen Creek Road and Interstate 8, they received notification from the Miramar Marine Corp Air Station that a helicopter with live ordnance was missing, according to Capt. Daryll Pina of CalFire.
The Marines warned fire crews to stay a quarter of a mile away from the crash site because of the threat of live ammunition aboard the aircraft. When an engine crew from Cameron Engine Station arrived about 45 minutes later, they waited for the fire to burn itself out before approaching the scene for fear of explosions, Pina said.
Pina said the crash was in a burn from an old fire or a fuel break with very little vegetation in the forest north of Interstate 8.
About 10 military officials arrived this morning to disarm any live ordnance and begin their investigation into what caused the crash that killed the two U.S. Marines. A command post has been set up at Kitchen Creek Road south of Pine Valley. CalFire officials say there were around 100 people involved in the response.
Military officials are surveying the crash site from the air trying to identify the ordinance among the wreckage.
