COALINGA, Calif. (KSEE) — A pilot killed in a helicopter crashed in central California Wednesday morning has been identified by family members as Mike Fournier, 52 of Rancho Cucamonga.
Authorities said he was the only person aboard the helicopter when it crashed.
The helicopter involved in firefighting operations crashed under unknown circumstances 11 miles south of New Coalinga Municipal Airport around 10 a.m., said Ian Gregor, FAA spokesman.
The crash site was in a remote area southwest of the blaze.
The helicopter was confirmed to have belonged to a company contracted to make water drops on the Hills Fire burning in the hills near Coalinga, said Cal Fire spokesman Seth Brown.
Coalinga is about 65 miles southwest of Fresno, halfway between San Francisco and Los Angeles.
An employee confirmed the company is Guardian Helicopters, based in Fillmore California in Ventura County. They did not want to comment but their website lists services including firefighting, and shows pictures of the same model helicopter identified in the crash — a Bell UH-1H.
Brown said it’s common for agencies to contract equipment and personnel to fight wildfires.
“We had on the incident several privately contracted helicopters assisting us with water drops the past couple days,” he said.
The crash sparked another fire, which eventually merged with the Hills fire making it tough for Fresno County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue crews to access. Rugged terrain, triple digit temperatures and wind also added to the challenge.
Flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires burn in unincorporated Napa County, Calif., on Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2020. The blaze went on to destroy multiple homes near Lake Berryessa. Fire crews across the region scrambled to contain dozens of wildfires sparked by lightning strikes as a statewide heat wave continues. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) 
Fire crews maintain a backburn to control the River Fire near the Las Palmas neighborhood in Salinas, Calif., Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2020. (AP Photo/Nic Coury) 
This satellite image from the Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere (CIRA) and released by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) shows smoke from massive wildfires in Northern California, top left, being pushed by winds to the northeast on Thursday, Aug. 20, 2020. California firefighters battled destructive wildfires as a lengthening heat wave roasted the state. Thousands of homes were at risk and air quality deteriorated in areas affected by smoke. (CIRA/NOAA via AP) 
A CalFire crew from Coulterville takes a break while fighting the River Fire near Salinas, Calif., Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2020. (AP Photo/Nic Coury) 
Flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires consume a home in Vacaville, Calif., Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2020. Fire crews across the region scrambled to contain dozens of wildfires sparked by lightning strikes as a statewide heat wave continues. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) 
Flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires consume a home in unincorporated Napa County, Calif., on Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2020. Fire crews across the region scrambled to contain dozens of wildfires sparked by lightning strikes. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) 
Smoke from wildfires hovers over Richardson Bay Thursday, Aug. 20, 2020, in Sausalito, Calif. Wildfires raged through Northern California on Thursday, threatening thousands of homes and blackening the skies near San Francisco as crews struggled to surround them despite steep terrain and blistering heat. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg) 
Dense smoke from California wildfires up to 200 miles away obscures the view of traffic traveling on Interstate 80, looking west in Sparks, Nev., Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2020. Local schools canceled all outdoor activities as the air quality index approached the “very unhealthy” category for the general population Wednesday afternoon. (AP Photo/Scott Sonner) 
A cameraman films flames flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires in Vacaville, Calif., on Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2020. Fire crews across the region scrambled to contain dozens of wildfires sparked by lightning strikes. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) 
Fire crews maintain a backburn to control the River Fire near the Las Palmas neighborhood in Salinas, Calif., Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2020. (AP Photo/Nic Coury) 
Flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires jump Interstate 80 in Vacaville, Calif., Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2020. The highway was closed in both directions shortly afterward. Fire crews across the region scrambled to contain dozens of wildfires sparked by lightning strikes as a statewide heat wave continues. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) 
A massive column of smoke rises above Highway 1 just north of the Santa Cruz County line as a section of the CZU August Lightning Complex burns above Waddell Beach, Wednesday Aug. 19, 2020, northwest of Santa Cruz, Calif. (Shmuel Thaler/The Santa Cruz Sentinel via AP) 
Firefighter David Widaman directs water onto a tree that had exploded in flame as a fire crew defends a house northwest of Santa Cruz, Calif., Wednesday Aug. 19, 2020. (Shmuel Thaler/The Santa Cruz Sentinel via AP)
Brown said a tragedy like this is uncommon in wildland fire fighting.
“Actual injuries to firefighters and contractors are rare when you think of how many people are out here how many moving parts there are. Any type of aircraft crash is extremely rare,” he said.
Search and Rescue members collected Fournier’s body at around 8:30 p.m. and said it took a total of 6 1/2 hours to get in and out of the scene, according to the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office. They also said they covered him with an American flag.