A sad loss to the Wildland Firefighting community.
The pilot of an air tanker battling a wildfire at Yosemite National Park died after the tanker crashed Tuesday, Cal Fire said.
The tanker was being used to help battle Dog Rock Fire when authorities lost contact with its pilot Tuesday afternoon, Cal Fire spokesman Daniel Berlant said in a statement.
Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor said the plane -- which had only one pilot on board -- went down near an entrance to the park.
The pilot's family requested the name be withheld pending notification of other relatives.
"This crash underscores just how inherently dangerous Wildland firefighting is and the job is further compounded this year by the extreme fire conditions," said Chief Ken Pimlott, CAL FIRE director. "We have secured the crash site and will be cooperating with the NTSB on their investigation."
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