A CONAIR Convair CV580 crashed on Saturday, July 31, while battling wildfires in British Columbia's Fraser Canyon. Both Pilots onboard the Convair were killed in the crash. The Airtanker came down around 9:00pm in an area about 9 miles south of Lytton, BC. The crash sparked another wildfire that prevented rescue teams from reaching the site until late yesterday afternoon, as seen in 2nd photo above. According to spokesman from Canada's Transportation Safety Board, a 2nd plane was shadowing the Convair and that the crew onboard that aircraft may be able to help with the investigation into the crash. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police also said that witnesses on the ground saw the plane fall from the sky and were being interviewed. More than 350 fires have been burning across the province over the last week, with the largest, near the BC-Yukon border, covering about 39sq miles. About 250 firefighters with additional aircraft have been brought into BC from Alberta and Ontario to help crews fight the blazes. Since April 1, crews around the province have responded to 1100 wildfires, of which 487 have been human-caused, 580 lightning-caused and 33 are still under investigation. These fires have burned a total of 59781 hectares. Aircraft from Conair have been used in the firefighting effort and a Conair Convair is pictured at top on July 20 overhead a fire. It is not known if the Convair pictured is the aircraft that crashed.
No comments:
Post a Comment