A helicopter assigned to fight a major Utah wildfire went down Friday, federal officials said, with no immediate update available on the two people who were aboard.
The aircraft was among seven helicopters supporting crews on a central Utah wildfire sparked by lightning on July 27. The crash happened near Richfield, roughly 160 miles (258 kilometers) south of Salt Lake City, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
Officials in Sevier and Millard counties did not immediately respond to requests for details. The FAA and wildfire authorities also said they had no information yet on the condition of the two people on the helicopter.
The National Transportation Safety Board and the FAA are expected to investigate the helicopter crash, though investigators may be unable to reach the site right away if active fire conditions make the area unsafe.
Firefighters had already been cautioned Friday morning about dangerous wildfire conditions, including shifting winds, dry vegetation and high temperatures. Forecasts also raised concerns about dry thunderstorms and lightning, while red flag warnings remained in place.
The wildfire burning in Fishlake National Forest near the small community of Kanosh, Utah, had expanded to 165 square miles (427 square kilometers) and was 19% contained as of Friday morning.
More than 600 firefighters and support personnel are working to contain the blaze, which has forced evacuations and destroyed at least six structures while burning through timber, brush and grassland.
The fire comes after months of dry weather across Utah and the broader West, including a record lack of snow in some areas, repeated heat waves and unpredictable winds that have helped fuel dangerous wildfire activity.
Four firefighters were killed and a fifth was injured after they were overcome by a fast-moving wildfire in Colorado in June.
The firefighters tried to shield themselves by deploying tentlike emergency shelters as flames overran their position.
