RIGGINS, Idaho (AP) -- A plane crashed while spraying retardant to fight a
grass fire, killing the pilot.
The plane went down Tuesday in the north-central Idaho backcountry while
battling a 500-acre fire south of the Salmon River.
The cause of the blaze, which was still burning Wednesday, had not been
determined, state Lands Department officials said.
The pilot was Doug Gilbert, 52, of Visalia, Calif., who had many years of
experience fighting fires and had worked in Idaho for the past two seasons,
said department spokeswoman Mary Fritz.
