Two firefighting helicopters collided mid-air late on Aug. 6 while working to extinguish a brush fire in Riverside County, California, killing all three personnel onboard one of the aircraft, according to authorities.
At a news conference early on Aug. 7, Cal Fire Southern Region Chief David Fulcher said one of the helicopters managed to land safely following the mid-air collision.
“Unfortunately, the second helicopter crashed and tragically all three members perished,” Mr. Fulcher said. “Although this was a tragic event, we are also thankful today that it wasn’t worse. The individuals in the first helicopter were able to able to land safely without incident and no one else was hurt,” he added.
Cal Fire confirmed in a statement that those who died in the crash are Cal Fire Division Assistant Chief Josh Bischof, Cal Fire Captain Tim Rodriguez, and Tony Sousa, a contracted helicopter pilot.
It is with great sadness that #CALFIRE shares the tragic loss of our employees who perished in a midair collision yesterday evening while fighting the Broadway fire in Riverside County. Our condolences go out to the family and friends of Assistant Chief Josh Bischof, Fire Captain… pic.twitter.com/hUjrrjRvqW
— CAL FIRE (@CAL_FIRE) August 7, 2023
The crash caused an additional 4-acre fire, which has been extinguished, the fire chief noted.
The accident unfolded about an hour after Cal Fire and Riverside County Fire Department emergency services were dispatched to a structure fire near the intersection of Broadway Street and South Ronda Avenue in the community of Cabazon, Mr. Fulcher said.
Shortly after the arrival of the first company, the fire was reported to have extended into the vegetation and a full wildland fire dispatch was initiated, which included fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft.
The pilot who died in the crash was performing work under contract with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire), said Richard Cordova, fire captain and public information officer for Cal Fire.
Mr. Cordova said the helicopter that crashed was a “Call When Needed helicopter,” an aircraft the agency utilizes to help with bigger incidents throughout the state, FOX11 reported.
“We also utilize these helicopters to boost our air program throughout the state,” he added.
Collision Under Investigation
The cause of the accident is being investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement. The agency also noted that all future updates would come from the NTSB.
Mr. Fulcher, meanwhile, said Riverside County Fire Chief Bill Weiser has already met with two of the families that lost their loved ones and is due to meet with the third.
“I would like to express our deepest sympathies and sorrow to the family and coworkers of the personnel,” Mr. Fulcher said. “This was a tragic loss for the fire service community and Cal Fire and Riverside County Fire Department.”
“We have lost three great individuals,” he added. “Three fathers, three husbands, three friends, three sons, three daughters—daughters who’ve lost their fathers, sons who’ve lost their fathers. We want to tell everyone this sacrifice should not be in vain, we think about them and we’ll be there to support them.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.