Pilot Killed During CO Wildfire Operation Identified
The Denver Post
(TNS)
A fourth firefighter died battling Colorado’s raging summer wildfires after a helicopter that had been fighting the Gold Mountain fire near Ouray crashed into a reservoir Sunday evening.
The body of the pilot, the only person on board the firefighting helicopter, was recovered from Silver Jack Reservoir in southwestern Gunnison County later Sunday night by the Montrose County Sheriff’s Office dive team, officials said.
The Gunnison County Sheriff’s Office on Monday identified the pilot as 56-year-old Nicholas Dale, a federally contracted fire aviation pilot form Sooke, British Columbia.
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis said in a statement that he was devastated to learn of Dale’s death, which came just over two weeks after three federal firefighters — Emily Barker, 38; Nick Hutcherson, 27; and Sydney Watson, 27 — were killed when they were overtaken by flames while battling the Snyder fire in western Colorado near the Utah border.
“I, and every Coloradan, am deeply grateful for the thousands of brave firefighters and pilots across the state protecting us and our communities,” Polis said. “My heart goes out to the pilot’s friends, family and colleagues who mourn this immense loss. We are committed to supporting our brave firefighters and their families, and the state stands ready to support any investigation into this tragic incident.”
A procession of law enforcement vehicles carried Dale’s body from Gunnison to Grand Junction on Monday. The convoy was greeted by residents who wanted to show their support for the pilot and the thousands of firefighters assigned to blazes burning across the West.
Flags will be ordered to fly at half-staff when Dale’s memorial is scheduled to “honor his bravery and sacrifice,” Polis said.
The Gunnison Regional Communications Center received a call at 5:17 p.m. Sunday reporting that an aircraft had gone down in the reservoir northeast of Ouray, sheriff’s officials said. Officials confirmed the aircraft was involved in firefighting operations at the Gold Mountain fire.
National Transportation Safety Board officials on Monday identified the downed aircraft as a Kaman Aerospace Corp K-1200 helicopter, also known as a K-MAX. The federal agency is investigating the crash.
K-MAX single-pilot helicopters are frequently used in firefighting, logging, construction and disaster relief operations, according to Kaman officials. They are designed to make repetitive heavy lifts, including for water and fire retardant, according to the manufacturer.
The helicopter that crashed Sunday is registered to Georgia-based Helicopter Express, a company that says it is one of only five in the United States to operate the K-MAX, according to Federal Aviation Administration records. It was manufactured in 2019 and last certified in 2023, according to the FAA.
The company, in a statement issued Monday, confirmed Dale’s death.
“This is a heartbreaking loss for everyone at Helicopter Express and throughout the aerial firefighting community,” the statement said. “Nick’s dedication, professionalism and commitment to protecting others will never be forgotten.”
Flight tracking data from FlightAware shows the helicopter had been in the Gold Mountain fire area since July 6. On the day of the crash, it spent nearly an hour in the air before it hit the reservoir. It was last spotted at 5:04 p.m., according to FlightAware.
On previous days, the helicopter spent between 29 minutes and 2 hours in the air, the flight tracking data shows, presumably carrying water from the reservoir to the fire.
On Sunday evening, a second pilot landed his helicopter after Dale crashed and attempted to swim toward the downed chopper, but couldn’t reach it because of electrical currents emanating from the crashed helicopter, Gunnison County Sheriff Adam Murdie told the Montrose Press.
As of Monday morning, the wreckage remained in the reservoir, according to the Montrose Press.
The Gold Mountain fire, one of several major wildfires burning across Colorado, has grown to 36,259 acres, or nearly 57 square miles, since igniting two miles north of Ouray on June 27. As of Monday, it was 11% contained.
More than 980 personnel were on scene to fight the wildfire Monday, according to the Rocky Mountain Complex Incident Management Team 3, which is leading the fire response.
On Saturday afternoon, fire managers announced they were beginning a “strategic firing operation” from Pinnacle Peak to Silver Jack Reservoir in an effort to create a containment line by burning fuel at a slow and controlled pace back toward the fire.
Silver Jack Reservoir, which is about 300 acres in size, is in the Uncompahgre National Forest and is less than 20 miles from both Ouray and Ridgway.
On Monday, mandatory evacuations related to the Gold Mountain fire remained in place for residents of Ouray and Gunnison counties north of the fire, according to the evacuation map.
The Ouray County evacuation zone was bordered to the west by County Road 8 and County Road 10, to the south by Baldy Peak, to the east by Green Mountain and the Cimarron Ridge and to the north by Tommy Creek and Deer Creek.
Evacuations were also in effect northeast of the Cimarron Ridge, along the border of Gunnison and Montrose counties, according to the map. That area is bordered to the north by Washboard Rock, to the east by Gunnison County Road 864A, to the south by Hampden Lake and to the west by Cimarron Ridge.
Both the cause of the wildfire and the cause of the crash remain under investigation.
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