GUNNISON, Colo. (AP) — A helicopter helping to fight a Colorado wildfire has crashed into a reservoir, killing the pilot, authorities said.
The aircraft was reported down Sunday in the Silver Jack Reservoir and the pilot's body was recovered by divers, the Gunnison County sheriff's office posted online.
The Federal Aviation Administration said it was a Kaman Aerospace K-1200 helicopter that “crashed under unknown circumstances, becoming inverted,” according to its preliminary report.
The pilot, the only person on board, was assisting firefighters with the 2-week-old Gold Mountain Fire, which has grown to about 57 square miles (148 square kilometers) in southwestern Colorado. It was 13% contained as of early Monday.
The National Transportation Safety Board will lead the investigation, the FAA said in a statement.
Last week, wildland firefighters in Colorado gathered to pay tribute to three of their own who died after they were trapped by flames on the Colorado-Utah border.
Many large fires are still going strong across the West. They are scattered around Colorado, Utah and New Mexico while there are wildfires in eight other states — from Alaska to Arizona.
Prolonged hot and dry conditions this week will bring fire weather concerns, the National Weather Service said.
