COALINGA, CA. (KMJ) — UPDATE: The wife of the pilot killed in a firefighting helicopter crash has come forward.
LeAnne Fournier says the pilot is Mike Fournier of Rancho Cucamonga.
A GoFundMe account has been created to help support his wife and two daughters.
Click here if you would like to make a donation.
The Fresno County Coroner’s Office has not confirmed the identity of the pilot.
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The Fresno County Sheriff’s Office is reporting that a pilot has died after a helicopter crashed in Coalinga on Wednesday.
Officials say that a Bell UH-1 helicopter was on a water-dropping mission on the Hills Fire when it crashed.
Fresno County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue was requested to meet at S Lost Hills Rd. and Sutter Ave.
They were told a helicopter involved in firefighting efforts had crashed and SAR personnel was needed to search rugged terrain for survivors.
The Fresno County Sheriff’s Office later confirmed that the pilot did not survive the crash.
The pilot was the only person aboard the helicopter.
It took SAR members 6 1/2 hours to reach the crash site and recover the pilot’s body.
He was delivered to the Fresno County Coroner’s Office around 11:00 p.m.
