Plane Crashes Into Montana Reservoir, Firefighter Pilot Dies

UNSPLASH/Lily Miller ILLUSTRATION

JAKARTA - A pilot was killed when a single-engine fire engine plane crashed into a Montana reservoir, United States, while drawing water to extinguish the fire nearby.

The accident was reported to have occurred in thexiversity Reservoir on the Missouri River in northeastern Helena in Lewis and Clark County.

A team of law enforcement and search and rescue by boat responded, along with divers from Gallatin County.

The pilot of the "scooper" aircraft, a 45-year-old woman, was declared dead.

"It's not just going in and flying and taking water. It's a dangerous type of environment," Lewis and Clark County Sheriff Leo Dutton told CBS News on Thursday, July 11.

The Federal Aviation Administration, the National Transportation Safety Council and the US Forestry Service will investigate the crash of an AT-802 aircraft, which works for the Forestry Service and contracted in Idaho.

The pilot is part of a crew battling a 600-hectare fire caused by humans burning heavy wood in the national forests of Helena-Lewis and Clark about 5 miles south of York.

The fire broke out on Tuesday, where the sheriff's office ordered residents to evacuate on Wednesday afternoon.

"We are deeply saddened to learn of the death of a young female wilderness firefighter who tragically lost his life in response to the Horse Gulch fire in Helena, Montana," said Montana Governor Greg Gianforte and Idaho Governor Brad Little in a joint statement.

Our first response and wilderness firefighters risked their lives to respond to threats quickly and protect our community. Running for fire is an act of courage," he added.