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Two helicopters collided late on Sunday while fighting a blaze in California’s Riverside County near Cabazon, killing three people, multiple news outlets reported on Monday.
The first helicopter landed safely after the collision but the second one crashed, killing all three people who were on board, CNN reported, citing the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection’s (CalFire) Southern Region Chief David Fulcher.
The crew included a contracted pilot, a CalFire division chief and a captain, CNN said, citing Fulcher. It wasn’t clear immediately if the captain worked for CalFire.
The Riverside County Sheriff had responded to an air emergency at Cabazon late on Sunday involving a crash at the location, it said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will provide all future updates on the crash, the Sheriff’s office added.
The Riverside County Fire Department and NTSB did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
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