2 killed in crash of firefighting plane

Two people who were assisting the fight against a wildfire in western Arizona died Saturday when their plane crashed, the Bureau of Land Management said.

The plane’s two crew members were performing aerial reconnaissance and command and control over the Cedar Basin fire, which began Friday and has expanded over about 300 acres near Wikieup, an unincorporated town roughly halfway between Phoenix and Las Vegas.

Officials identified one of them as Jeff Piechura, a retired Tucson fire chief who was working for the U.S. Forest Service. The name of the other was withheld until relatives could be notified.

“Our hearts go out to the families of our brave wildland firefighters,” the Bureau of Land Management said.

The plane performing aerial reconnaissance helps direct aviation resources responding to a wildfire, Dolores Garcia, a spokesperson for the bureau, told the Arizona Republic.

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash.

Plane crashes are one of the many risks faced by people who fight wildfires. In September, a pilot was killed when a plane that was dropping retardant on a fire in Idaho crashed. Early last year, three Americans died when their plane went down south of Canberra, the Australian capital, where they were helping to fight intense wildfires.

Dozens of large blazes have raged in Arizona and other western states in recent weeks. Wildfire seasons have been getting worse because of extreme weather patterns and climate change.