Helicopters battling wildfires in Riverside County collide in midair; 3 dead

Three men died on Sunday evening in a collision between two helicopters involved in firefighting over a forest fire in Cabazon.

The crash occurred around 6 p.m. in the Cabazon area, just south of the Morongo Casino. The area near the accident site is just south of Highway 10.

A Bell helicopter, flown by a contract pilot with a division chief of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) and a Cal Fire air captain on board, was acting as observer coordinator when it collided with a Sikorsky Skycrane helicopter while battling the brush fire, according to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Dept. All three men on the Bell helicopter were killed. Two people on the Sikorsky, which landed safely, were unharmed.

The Sikorsky is believed to have dropped water or fire retardant while responding to wildfires. Fixed-wing aircraft were also part of firefighting.

The incident took place on Native American land, where firefighters were battling a 20-acre blaze.

The investigation is ongoing and authorities are working to determine the factors that led to the mid-air collision.

“This sacrifice should not be in vain, that we are thinking of them, we will be there to support them,” Cal Fire Southern Region Chief David Fulcher said at a news conference. “We’ll be there today, and I can say that [Riverside County Fire] Chief Bill Weiser has met with two of the family members and we are working to meet with the third. We just want to let them know we’re here for them.”