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Search for crashed helicopter crew continues as Widemouth 2 Fire crosses 110,000 acres burned

Credit: Fishlake National Forest

Over 24 hours later, rescue teams are unable to access the site where a firefighting helicopter crashed responding to a wildfire in Utah, according to officials at the Fishlake National Forest.

Ground crews attempted to respond to the area near the ongoing Widemouth 2 Fire in central Utah on Friday, but were unable to access the scene due to an emergent fire caused by vegetation ignited by the crash, U.S. Forest Service officials said in a press release on Saturday afternoon. The responding Incident Management Team decided not to put further lives at risk until the area was deemed safe.

“The site is now inside the fire perimeter itself, with the growth that occurred yesterday on the fire,” officials said in the press release. “Due to the continued large fire growth and unsafe conditions, emergency responders are still unable to access the scene or victims as of this morning.”

There is no confirmation on the health status of the helicopter’s crew, and officials warned against starting or engaging with numerous false reports and rumors that have since spread online, according to the press release. They said any confirmation of the crew’s health status will come directly from the Sevier County Sheriff after Search and Rescue teams can safely access the scene.

“This is an evolving situation, and emergency personnel are on scene where safe to do so,” officials said. “Agency and fire personnel’s top priority is responding to the incident safely.”

The Widemouth 2 Fire has burned 111,306 acres and is 24% contained as of Saturday afternoon, according to the latest update from fire managers. Containment has increased over the past 24 hours, but continual erratic winds, dry fuels and hot temperatures threaten to further the fire’s spread.

“Rainfall is expected early next week, but it is too early for meteorologists to predict how much rainfall will occur and where,” fire crews said.

Click here for the latest evacuation information.

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1 Comment

  1. This is terrible.


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