Four dead in helicopter crash, fire near Snoqualmie Pass

Four people are dead in a helicopter crash this afternoon that sparked a widening forest fire east of Snoqualmie Pass.

The fire resulting from the crash has "grown significantly," said Jane Chavey, of the Department of Natural Resources.

Richelle Risdon, spokeswoman for Kittitas Fire and Rescue, said the fire three miles south of Easton on Cabin Creek Road had grown to nearly 300 acres by 7:30 p.m., up from 40 acres at 4 p.m.

The fire is near Cabin Creek on land owned privately but under protections by the DNR. The land is heavily forested and very dry, she said, and a breeze is pushing the flames eastward.

Crews in three helicopters and four tanker planes are fighting the fire, but ground crews haven't been able to get to the fire because of the rugged terrain and a road that washed out during the winter.

About 60 firefighters and three bulldozers will work overnight to clear a path to the fireline, said Mark Grassel, DNR's fire information officer.

The only building currently in the fire's path is an unoccupied cabin on the next ridge.

The fire started when the helicopter crashed between 2 and 2:30 p.m., said Tom Little of the National Transportation Safety Board.

Kittitas County Undersheriff Clayton Meyers said the aircraft took off from Boeing Field, but he doesn't know who was on board. A group of people on the ground heard the crash and made their way toward it, but were stopped about a half-mile away by the spreading flames. Nobody has been able to reach the crash site to recover the bodies, he said.

Grassel said the National Transportation Safety Board will lead the investigation, but won't get to the crash site until Friday at the earliest.

"The fire is so active in there, it's not safe for anybody to go in," Grassel said.

Chavey said the downed chopper did not belong to the DNR, the Forest Service or any of the federal agencies that respond to forest fires. Officials at Boeing Field could not be reached for comment.

High temperatures today in Easton was 85 degrees and winds at 9 p.m. were coming from west southwest at 5 mph gusting to 13 mph, said meteorologist Jay Albrecht. There could be stronger winds at the fire site, he said.