Fire caused by chopper crash about 10% contained

Firefighters nearly doubled their efforts today against a 405-acre blaze caused by a deadly helicopter crash near Easton, Kittitas County, with scores of reinforcements arriving from around the region.

Pam Novitsky with the U.S. Forest Service said crews had contained about 10 percent of the blaze, which is burning in challenging terrain with few roads. There's no estimate of when they'll be able to fully contain the fire, she said, but cooler-than-normal temperatures are keeping the weather in their favor.

"The physical conditions of the fire are extremely difficult. It's very steep and rocky, and the fire is occurring kind of down in a large bowl with limited road access," Novitsky said. "It was commercial timberland, so there were some roads that had been used in the past but then closed."

More than 360 firefighters were battling the fire, which started Thursday three miles south of Easton when a helicopter crashed shortly after taking off from a logging area, killing all four people on board. The National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration both were investigating the crash.

Killed in the crash were: Keiko Minakata, a flight instructor for Classic Helicopter from Burien, Everett timber broker Bob Hagerman, and two of his Korean business clients, Hyun Song and Si Lee.

Crews continued to battle blazes elsewhere in Washington:

The Tolo Fire in North Cascades National Park 15 miles northwest of Stehekin was 35 percent contained today and remained at 225 acres. Smokejumpers stopped four spot fires over the weekend and steep slopes of unburned fuel were hampering firefighting efforts. Lightning sparked the blaze July 13.

The Crow Creek Fire, seven miles northwest of Cliffdell, Yakima County, east of Mount Rainier National Park, had burned 83 acres today and was 60 percent contained. It began Thursday, and the cause remains under investigation.

Karen Gaudette: 206-515-5618 or kgaudette@seattletimes.com