Emergency crews had been unable to reach the crash site because of the ongoing fire. The Sikorsky S-64 helicopter was among seven aircraft deployed to fight a wildfire in central Utah that was sparked by lightning on 27 July. The crash sparked another fire in the area. It was not immediately known whether the wildfire had reached the crash site. Meanwhile, firefighters in Oregon were battling the Wrights Spring fire, which had grown rapidly and remained completely uncontained by Friday.