An aircraft supporting efforts to contain Colorado’s Gold Mountain Fire crashed into Silver Jack Reservoir on Sunday, killing the pilot, authorities said.
Gunnison County Regional Communications received a report at about 5:17 p.m. that an aircraft had crashed in the reservoir in southwestern Gunnison County. The Gunnison County Sheriff’s Office said the aircraft was supporting crews battling the Gold Mountain Fire.
Officials initially believed one person was aboard the aircraft. The Montrose County Sheriff’s Office Dive Team later recovered the pilot’s body from the wreckage.
Authorities had not released the pilot’s identity, the type of aircraft or information about what caused it to go down as of Monday.
Gold Mountain Fire burns more than 35,000 acres
The Gold Mountain Fire began June 27 about two miles north of Ouray.
As of Monday, the fire had burned 35,622 acres, and crews had contained 13% of it. The National Interagency Coordination Center reported that 985 personnel were responding.
The federal report described active fire behavior that included uphill runs, group torching and long-range spotting. Evacuations and area, road and trail closures remained in effect as crews worked to protect structures and critical infrastructure.
Crash follows deaths of three federal firefighters
The pilot’s death came about two weeks after three federal wildland firefighters died during a June 27 burnover incident in western Colorado. Two other firefighters sustained burn injuries.
The U.S. Department of the Interior said the five firefighters were assigned to the Knowles and Gore fires near the Colorado-Utah border when the incident occurred.
Firefighters across Colorado continued battling several other major fires Monday, including the Aspen Acres, Ferris, Willow, Elk and Snyder fires.
The National Interagency Fire Center placed the country at Preparedness Level 4 and reported 46 large fires under active suppression Monday, with 16,886 personnel assigned nationwide
Provided by Dallas Express
