GUNNISON COUNTY — A pilot died after an aircraft crashed into Silver Jack reservoir while fighting the Gold Mountain fire in Gunnison County, Colorado. The incident occurred during active aerial firefighting operations in the southwestern part of the county, where evacuation orders have been issued due to the advancing blaze.

The Gunnison County Sheriff's Office was notified of the crash at approximately 5:17 p.m. local time on Sunday. The Gunnison County regional communications center had received a call reporting that the aircraft went down in Silver Jack reservoir, located in the south-western portion of the county.

Authorities believed one person was onboard the aircraft, and the Montrose County Sheriff's Office Dive Team later recovered the pilot's body from the submerged plane. The body was transported to the coroner's office in Gunnison for examination.

The aircraft was confirmed to be engaged in firefighting operations with the Gold Mountain fire at the time of the crash. The fire has been burning since June 27 and was first reported just north-east of Colorado’s Ouray County. As of Monday morning, the Gold Mountain fire had burned more than 35,000 acres and was 13% contained. Evacuation orders remained in effect for parts of south-western Gunnison County, a region with a 2020 population of 16,918 and whose county seat is the town of Gunnison.

Why It Matters

The crash marks a fatal incident in an ongoing wildfire that remains largely uncontained and continues to threaten communities in a remote part of western Colorado. The cause of the Gold Mountain fire was still undetermined as of Monday, and the loss of the pilot underscores the risks faced by aerial firefighting personnel responding to large, fast-moving blazes in rugged terrain.