A helicopter crashed at Yosemite National Park on Sunday, September 21, 2026, killing both crew members aboard during aerial firefighting operations over the Dome Fire. The U.S. Forest Service confirmed the deaths, according to NBC News.
The Federal Aviation Administration placed the crash at approximately 3:00 PM local time, The Guardian reported. The Guardian also identified the two people killed as pilots.
The crew was making water drops on the Dome Fire when the aircraft went down. The fire had already consumed more than 3,000 acres by that point, having ignited the week before September 21, according to The Guardian.