3 Dead After Firefighting Helicopters Crash Mid-Air
Transcript
00:00 Three people have died after a mid-air crash involving firefighting helicopters in Southern California.
00:06 A fire dubbed the Broadway Fire broke out in Riverside County, California on August 6th.
00:12 Shortly after the arrival of the first engine company, it was reported that the fire had extended into the vegetation
00:17 and a full wildland fire dispatch was initiated.
00:21 While fighting the blaze, two helicopters collided.
00:24 The first helicopter was able to land safely nearby. Unfortunately, the second helicopter crashed
00:30 and tragically all three members perished, which included one CAL FIRE division chief,
00:36 one CAL FIRE fire captain and one contract pilot.
00:40 That crash sparked an additional four acres of fires, which were extinguished.
00:46 CAL FIRE says of 4,123 fires in the state of California,
00:51 these three people were the first fatalities of the 2023 fire season.
00:56 The National Transportation Safety Board is now investigating the cause of the crash.
01:01 This is Inside Edition Digital.
01:03 [Music]