Three dead as helicopter fighting fires in California crashes into second chopper

Three people died in a helicopter fighting fires in Southern California crashed on Sunday after it collided with another chopper, authorities said. The other helicopter landed safely. ‘Unfortunately, the second helicopter crashed and tragically all three members perished which included one Cal Fire Division chief, one Cal Fire captain and one contract client pilot,’ Cal Fire Southern Region Chief David Fulcher said during a news conference early Monday. Fulcher did not identify the victims. Cal Fire and Riverside County Fire Department resources were dispatched to a reported structure fire near the intersection of Broadway Street and South Ronda Avenue in the community of Cabazon, Fulcher said. Shortly after the arrival of the first engine company, the fire was reported to have extended into the vegetation and a full wildland fire dispatch was initiated, which included fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft. While battling the blaze, the two helicopters collided. The crash caused an additional 4-acre (1.6-hectare) fire, which was extinguished.