Yosemite Helicopter Crash Claims Two Lives During Dome Fire Response

Two pilots were killed on Sunday when their helicopter went down while aerial firefighting over Yosemite National Park, authorities reported on Monday.

One of the deceased pilots was identified as Greg King, an employee of the contract operator Precision, the Alaska Division of Forestry and Fire Protection said. The name of the second pilot has not yet been released as family notification is pending, the agency added.

The crew was performing water bucket drops on the Dome Fire when the Super Puma helicopter crashed southeast of Ostrander Lake, said Connie Lau, a spokeswoman for the California firefighting task force.

An investigation into the incident is underway, led by the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board, officials confirmed.

The nation faces an especially severe wildfire season, driven by historically low winter snowfall, record high temperatures, and prolonged drought conditions across the western United States.

To date, at least 18 firefighters have lost their lives battling U.S. wildfires in 2026, according to the federal Wildland Fire Lessons Learned agency. This toll already surpasses the recent average of 17 fatalities for an entire year, as reported by the National Interagency Fire Center.

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