一架西科斯基S64型重型直升机周五早上在犹他州中部Richfield附近坠毁，机上两人下落不明[1][2]。该直升机当时正参与扑灭Widemouth 2火灾，坠毁引发新的火灾，由于地形复杂，救援人员未能立即抵达现场[2]。美国国家运输安全委员会和联邦航空局将对此次事故联合调查[1][2]。
Widemouth 2火灾由7月27日的闪电引发[2]，截至事故发生时已烧过105,000英亩[2]，仅19%被控制[1]。参与扑救该火灾的直升机共有7架[1]。犹他州州长Spencer Cox表示，"野生火灾消防工作是世界上最危险的工作之一"[2]。此外，犹他州当前共有8场大火，累计烧过331,000英亩以上[2]。
A Sikorsky S64 heavy-lift helicopter crashed Friday morning near Richfield in central Utah while battling a major wildfire, leaving the status of the two people aboard unknown [1][2]. The aircraft went down in a remote area with difficult terrain, which has hampered immediate rescue access to the crash site [2]. The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration have launched a joint investigation into the incident [1][2].
The helicopter was engaged in firefighting operations for the Widemouth 2 fire, which ignited from lightning on July 27 and has since burned across 105,000 acres [2]. As of Friday, the fire had expanded to 165 square miles with only 19 percent containment [1]. The crash itself triggered a new fire at the impact site [2]. Utah is currently battling eight major fires that have collectively burned more than 331,000 acres [2]. Governor Spencer Cox remarked that "wildland firefighting is among the most dangerous jobs in the world" [2].