Air Tanker Crashes While Fighting Wildfire at Yosemite National Park | The Weather Channel
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An air tanker fighting a wildfire at Yosemite National Park has crashed, officials say.

ByAssociated PressOctober 8, 2014



An air tanker responding to a wildfire crashed near the entrance to Yosemite National Park in Northern California on Tuesday, according to the Associated Press. Officials said that only one person was aboard but no details have been released about the state of the plane or the pilot. 

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The plane went down at about 4:30 p.m. near the park's west entrance, Yosemite spokesman Scott Gediman said. The airtanker was one of multiple aircraft that was working to suppress the "Dog Rock Fire," which had burned nearly 130 acres near Yosemite's Arch Rock by Tuesday night, according to the Mariposa County Sheriff's Office.

"Weather does not seem to be a factor in this crash," said weather.com meteorologist Chrissy Warrilow. "Skies were partly cloudy to mostly sunny, and temperatures ranged from the 90s in the valleys to the 50s near the mountains' peaks."

"Winds have also been rather light at the surface, however it is possible that atmospheric flow over the mountains may have produced upper-level turbulence. It is unknown at this time, however, if that indeed was the case with regards to this incident."

Rescue crews were working their way through difficult terrain to reach the downed plane.

"What we're trying to do right now with the remaining light is to get some of our rangers to the scene," Gediman said.

The airplane is an S-2T air tanker, which is flown by a single pilot and has no other crew members. The tanker uses twin turbine engines and is capable of carrying 1,200 gallons of fire retardant, said Daniel Berlant, a spokesman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

"Please keep our pilot in your thoughts and prayers," Berlant said in a statement.

He did not know the age of the aircraft or details on the pilot and the pilot's experience in flying the aircraft.

"We're still trying to determine all the vital details," Berlant told The Associated Press by phone. "We have not been able to confirm anything via the radio with the pilot."

It was unclear if the pilot was flying to or from the fire or was in the process of dropping retardant, Berlant said.

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Yosemite is home to the tallest waterfall in North America and the largest slab of granite in the world (El Capitan). (Artur Defat/Getty Images)


CalFire has since grounded all flights until an investigation can be completed to make sure the other air tankers are safe. 

The fire began Tuesday afternoon near state Highway 140, which leads into the heart of the park. It had grown to about 130 acres by Tuesday evening and forced the evacuation of several dozen homes near the community of Foresta.

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