Ely District Office
| Contacts: | Chris Hanefeld | , 775-289-1842 | , chanefel@blm.gov |
Air Tanker Dropping Retardant on White Rock Fire Crashes, Two Killed
A Forest Service-contracted P-2V heavy air tanker dropping retardant on the White Rock Fire crashed in the Hamblin Valley area of western Utah shortly before 1 p.m., today. Both crewmembers were killed. Their names have not been released.
The cause of the crash is unknown. The Iron County Sheriff’s Office has responded and emergency response teams and an investigation accident team are en route. The P-2V is owned by Neptune Aviation Services, of Missoula, Mont.
The lightning-ignited White Rock Fire was first reported shortly before 10 p.m., Friday, in Lincoln County, Nev., about 25 miles northeast of Caliente. By Saturday evening, the fire had grown to nearly 5,000 acres and crossed the state line into Iron County, Utah.
The fire is burning in steep, rugged terrain dominated by pinion-pine and juniper trees, sagebrush and grasses. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Ely District is fully suppressing the fire to protect sage-grouse and other wildlife habitat, and for firefighter and public safety. Full containment is expected by Saturday evening, June 9.
For fire information, contact Chris Hanefeld, BLM Ely District fire information officer, at (775) 289-1842 or chanefel@blm.gov.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land, the most of any Federal agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. In Fiscal Year (FY) 2011, recreational and other activities on BLM-managed land contributed more than $130 billion to the U.S. economy and supported more than 600,000 American jobs. The Bureau is also one of a handful of agencies that collects more revenue than it spends. In FY 2012, nearly $5.7 billion will be generated on lands managed by the BLM, which operates on a $1.1 billion budget. The BLM's multiple-use mission is to sustain the health and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. The Bureau accomplishes this by managing such activities as outdoor recreation, livestock grazing, mineral development, and energy production, and by conserving natural, historical, cultural, and other resources on public lands.
Ely District Office 702 N. Industrial Way Ely, NV 89301