Three people were killed when two helicopters dispatched to help fight a fire in California collided Sunday, sending one crashing to the ground.
Firefighters were responding to a blaze in the Southern California community of Cabazon when it was reported that the fire had extended into vegetation, requiring a "full wildland fire dispatch," including fixed-wing and rotary aircraft, Cal Fire Southern Region Chief David Fulcher said at a news conference.
Firefighters with Cal Fire and the Riverside County Fire Department were involved in the response, he said.
Two helicopters collided while they were fighting the fire, Fulcher said.
The first helicopter was able to land safely nearby, but the second crashed, killing all three people onboard, he said. They were identified only as a Cal Fire division chief, a Cal Fire captain and a contracted pilot.
Fulcher said the crash also caused an additional 4-acre fire, which firefighters were able to extinguish.
"This was a tragic loss for the community, the fire service committee and Cal Fire Riverside County Fire Department," Fulcher said.
He said the cause of the collision was still under investigation, with the National Transportation Safety Board investigating the crash.
Gov. Gavin Newsom's office said on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, that it was in "close coordination" with Cal Fire after the crash.
