Tragedy in California Skies: 2 Pilots Killed During Firefighting Operations

Two pilots were killed in the crash of a "Super Puma" firefighting helicopter while battling the massive "Dome" wildfire in Yosemite National Park, California. One of the victims was identified as Greg King, a pilot for the contractor company "Parasene." The name of the second pilot has not yet been released. The disaster brings to five the number of helicopter pilots killed this year in wildfires in the US. Authorities have launched an investigation.

Two pilots were killed early this week in the crash of a "Super Puma" firefighting helicopter while battling the massive "Dome" wildfire in Yosemite National Park, California. One of the victims was identified as Greg King, a pilot for the contractor company "Parasene." The name of the second pilot has not yet been released for publication. The helicopter crashed southeast of Ostrander Lake while the crew was conducting water-dropping operations. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) have launched an investigation. The disaster brings to five the number of helicopter pilots killed this year while battling massive wildfires in the states of Colorado, Utah, and California. According to authorities, the United States is facing a severe and unusual wildfire season due to a combination of low winter snowfall, record temperatures, and decades of drought in the western part of the country. At least 18 people have lost their lives trying to contain wildfires in the US since the beginning of the year – a figure that already exceeds the multi-year annual average of 17 fatalities.