Pilot dead after wildfire-fighting helicopter crashes near Evansburg, Alta.
The pilot of a helicopter that crashed Monday night as it battled a wildfire west of Edmonton is dead.
The man's body was recovered from the wreckage of the downed aircraft on Monday evening, RCMP confirmed to CBC News.
The pilot was 49, RCMP said.
RCMP declined to say where the pilot was from, but said he was a contractor involved in fighting a wildfire burning near the community of Evansburg, Alta.
The pilot was the sole person aboard the helicopter when it crashed, RCMP spokesperson Fraser Logan told CBC News.
The pilot's next of kin was notified late Monday evening, he said.
A view of the wildfire near Evansburg, Alta., last week. A helicopter assisting in the firefighting efforts crashed Monday night, killing the pilot, police said. (David Bajer/CBC)
'MANY EYEWITNESSES' TO CRASH
Emergency crews were called to the scene around 6:30 p.m. local time after RCMP received a 911 call reporting the crash. Evansburg RCMP, EMS, firefighters and Alberta Wildfire responded to the site in a remote area west of Highway 22 and north of Highway 16 in Yellowhead County.
The location is not accessible by road and police were brought to the scene by aircraft.
Logan said the terrain of the remote crash site was "difficult," but witness accounts helped first responders narrow their search for the wreckage.
"It wasn't an exhaustive search because many eyewitnesses saw the helicopter go down," Fraser said.
RCMP are co-operating with Transportation Safety Board (TSB) investigators, who are taking charge of the investigation, Logan said.
The TSB is deploying two investigators to the scene of the crash, the agency confirmed in a statement. The investigators were expected to arrive on scene Tuesday morning.
The crash involved a Bell 212 helicopter, the TSB said. Also known as the Twin Two-Twelve, the Bell 212 is a two-blade, medium helicopter that has been in operation since the late 1960s.
FIRE BEING HELD
The 175-hectare wildfire has been burning in the region since last week when it triggered a temporary evacuation of nearby homes. The fire is now classified as being held, meaning it is not expected to grow.
Each day, helicopters have been deployed to the fire, often pulling water from nearby Chip Lake to stifle the flames.
No new growth has been detected on the fire for more than a week, but firefighters continue to douse hot spots.
On Monday, when the chopper crashed, 83 firefighters continued to reinforce the containment line and extinguish hot spots with the assistance of three helicopters working from the air.
Alberta Wildfire issued a statement, confirming that one of its contractors had died fighting the wildfire about 100 kilometres west of Edmonton.
In a statement issued Tuesday, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Devin Dreeshen offered his condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of the pilot.
"While we mourn a life lost in the line of duty, Alberta's brave first responders continue to put themselves in danger every day to protect Alberta families.
"For that, we thank them. I ask Albertans to do all that they can to prevent wildfires so that our first responders can get home safe."
Original story by Wallis Snowdon, published on CBC.ca
