Army helicopter with 4 soldiers aboard crashes in Washington state, triggering wildfire

At least four service members were aboard a US Army MH-60 Black Hawk helicopter that crashed near Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington state. The US Army confirmed the incident in a statement on Thursday. However, it did not reveal the current conditions of those who were on board.

According to NBC News, the helicopter was on a routine training mission when it crashed around 9 pm (local time) on Wednesday. The soldiers who were on board were part of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, Airborne, the Army officials said in the statement. The cause of the crash is still under investigation.

“This remains an active, ongoing situation,” the release said. Multiple news outlets also reported that the crash sparked a small wildfire that had spread to 1 acre by Thursday morning. This is “currently a search mission” involving the “most professional and skilled addressing the situation,” Army spokesperson Ruth Castro told The Associated Press in an email.

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No further details revealed as of now

The base was about 10 miles south of Tacoma, under the jurisdiction of the US Army Joint Base Headquarters. Meanwhile, the Thurston County sheriff’s office, based in Olympia, posted online late Wednesday that deputies were dispatched to reports of a possible helicopter crash in the Summit Lake area, west of Olympia.

“We have been advised that the military lost contact with a helicopter in the area,” the department said. The sheriff’s office said that it was working with the base and that no further details are available as of now.

Thurston County Sheriff Derek Sanders said on Facebook that deputies located the crash site, “but have been unable to continue rescue efforts as the scene is on fire.” King County Guardian 1 helicopter and special operation rescue units responded to the crash site, the sheriff said.

Meanwhile, staff with the state natural resources were working with multiple agencies, including the military and the local fire protection district, to battle the fire started by the crash, said Thomas Kyle-Milward, DNR wildfire communications manager.

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With inputs from the Associated Press.