2023-08-07 16:14:27
Updated on 07/08/23 at 6:34 p.m.
None of the occupants survived. Three people died in the collision of two helicopters fighting a fire in California, said a local fire official on Monday. The devices had been deployed to put out the flames of a fire in Cabazon, some 130 km east of The Angelsand collided on Sunday evening, area fire department chief David Fulcher told a news conference.
“The first helicopter was able to land safely in the vicinity. Unfortunately, the second helicopter crashed and its three occupants died,” he said. Two firefighters, a department head and a captain, are among the victims as well as a contract pilot.
A hectare of fire
The blaze covered more than one hectare of land when firefighters responded and the two helicopters were part of a six-aircraft squadron called to the scene. An investigation into the accident was initiated by the authorities in charge of transport safety in UNITED STATES.
This fatal accident occurs 11 months following the crash of another fire helicopter, which injured three, a few kilometers from Cabazon. Struck for more than 20 years by drought, the American West is particularly vulnerable to fires, which have intensified in recent years. The frequency and strength of these fires are exacerbated by the global warming.
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