In a tragic turn of events, two helicopter pilots have lost their lives after the aircraft they were operating crashed during a wildfire suppression mission in the Fishlake National Forest, Utah. The incident occurred on Friday morning, as reported by the Sevier County Sheriff. The deceased individuals were employed by Helicopter Transport Services, a contractor for the U.S. Forest Service. Their Sikorsky Skycrane helicopter went down, sparking a new fire that merged with the existing blaze, which has now engulfed approximately 174 square miles (451 square kilometers). Initially, access to the crash site was denied due to the raging fire, but on Saturday, teams were able to enter the area and confirm the fatalities. The National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the accident once they can examine the wreckage, a process that may take over a year to determine the cause. Meanwhile, numerous fires continue to ravage other regions across the West. In Washington, part of Mount Rainier National Park was closed after a new wildfire scorched less than a third of a square mile (less than a square kilometer). Firefighters are working diligently to contain this blaze and maintain control over larger fires near Spokane, which have already burned over 15.63 square miles (40 square kilometers), with more than 75 miles (120 kilometers) of containment lines constructed. In Oregon, an uncontrolled fire has expanded beyond 30 square miles (77.7 square kilometers), with firefighters still determining the best locations to set up containment lines around the Wrights Spring fire. Tragically, one firefighter, Jason Ensign, lost his life while operating a bulldozer for a timber company on Thursday when the blaze grew rapidly and cut off his escape route. Furthermore, over 20,000 people were forced to evacuate ahead of another swiftly moving wildfire in British Columbia.