ST. GEORGE, Utah (AP) -- Federal investigators arrived Friday at the site of the fatal crash of a contract single-engine air tanker battling lightning-sparked wildfires.
Wayne Turner, 58, from Big Sandy, Mont., was killed Thursday when his Dromader M-18 crashed after witnesses said it had dropped a load of retardant.
Turner was a contract pilot working for New Frontier Aviation, based in Fort Benton, Mont.
The main southern portion of the Dammeron Complex fire, located about 14 miles north of St. George, had burned about 3,380 acres but had not spread much since Thursday morning, said Bureau of Land Management spokeswoman Jodi Hamel. The fire was 35 percent contained will full containment expected by Sunday evening.
The fire, which started Wednesday, was being fought by federal, state, and municipal agencies, aided by two air tankers _ including the one that crashed -- and two helicopters.
The plane was not one of the old, heavy, multi-engine air tankers that the government has grounded out of safety concerns.
The single-engine tankers are basically crop dusters retrofitted to drop water, retardant or seed, BLM spokesman Wendell Peacock said.
Earlier Thursday, residents from two dozen homes in the town of Brookside north of St. George were allowed back to their homes after being evacuated the day before when flames burned close to their homes. The Brookside Fire was contained Thursday after burning about 60 acres.
Another fire, about 10 miles west of St. George, the Utah Hill fire, was contained Wednesday after burning approximately 630 acres.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency said it had approved a fire management grant that will cover 75 percent of the local and state firefighting costs for the fires.
A pilot for more than 40 years, Turner had logged more than 21,000 hours flying.
The plane was one of 76 single-engine air tankers contracted by the Bureau of Land Management to fight wildland fires throughout the country.
The second tanker was grounded Friday.
Related:
