Hollister-based Cal Fire air tanker pilot dies in crash near Yosemite fire
Submitted by editor on Tue, 10/07/2014 - 5:15pm
UPDATE: An air tanker pilot based out of Hollister, Calif., died Tuesday in a crash while fighting a fire at Yosemite National Park, according to Cal Fire.
Emergency personnel were able to access the crash site of Cal Fire Air Tanker 81 that crashed near the Yosemite fire and determined the pilot on board had died, said Cal Fire public information officer Daniel Berlant.
The air tanker was based out of the Hollister Air Attack Base and had been fighting the Dog Rock Fire near El Portal when officials lost contact with it late Tuesday afternoon. The pilot's name has not been released until immediate family has been notified.
“This crash underscores just how inherently dangerous wildland firefighting is and the job is further compounded this year by extreme fire conditions,” said Chief Ken Pimlott, Cal Fire director. “We have secured the crash site and will be cooperating with the NTSB on their investigation.”
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the pilot’s family during this difficult time,” said Jeff Cavarra, program director for DynCorp International.
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An air tanker crashed late Tuesday afternoon headed to a forest fire that broke out in Yosemite National Park, according to Cal Fire. The condition of the pilot was undetermined.
Contact was lost with one of its air tankers flying over a fire near Yosemite National Park. Emergency personnel are currently responding to the last known location of the aircraft, said Cal Fire public information officer Daniel Berlant in a statement early Tuesday evening.
The airtanker was assigned to the Dog Rock Fire burning near Yosemite’s Arch Rock. The status of the aircraft and the pilot have not been determined though KCRA TV in Sacramento reports National Park Service personnel saw the plane go down. Additional information will be provided as it’s made available.
The Dog Rock Fire began Tuesday afternoon at Dog Rock on the El Portal Road between the park boundary and Arch Rock Entrance Station, according to the latest from the National Park Service. The fire was reported around 2:45 p.m. and is approximately 130 acres. Fire crews and aircraft are on scene and responding to the fire.
The community of Foresta has been evacuated. El Portal Road, the continuation of Highway 140 into Yosemite, is closed due to fire as is El Portal Road between the park boundary and the junction with the Big Oak Flat Road. Access to Yosemite Valley is available via Wawona (Hwy 41) and Big Oak Flat Roads (Hwy 120).
