A firefighting helicopter crashed on Saturday night in New Mexico near Las Vegas and all four occupants died. The helicopter was returning from fighting the East Mesa Fire and was returning to Albuquerque when the crash reportedly occurred. They belonged to the New Mexico sheriff’s department and police officers were at the scene to investigate the incident.
“Preliminary information indicates that 3 BCSO personnel and 1 Bernalillo County Fire employee were onboard at the time of the crash,” the sheriff’s office tweeted. “There are no known survivors. This personnel was headed back to Albuquerque after assisting fire crews with the East Mesa Fire.”
The sheriff’s office urged people to keep the families of the deceased in their thoughts and prayers. “We need all the prayers we can get right now,” the sheriff tweeted. The sheriff’s office said the authorities are investigating the crash and that his office will be providing updates in the coming days.
The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said it was also looking into the crash. The NTSB confirmed that a Bell UH-1H came down near Chapelle in New Mexico on Saturday. The New Mexico sheriff’s office said it was a Metro 2 helicopter.
