UPDATE, 10/8 — 1:10 a.m. ET: Cal Fire said early Wednesday morning that the pilot was found dead.
JUST IN: @CAL_FIRE says pilot was found dead after plane crashed while battling Yosemite fire https://t.co/8taXgNYo2l pic.twitter.com/33lif6QUrm
— TheBlazeNOW (@TheBlazeNOW) October 8, 2014
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UPDATE — 9:15 p.m. ET: A Yosemite Park spokesman said the plane has crashed, but the pilot's status remains unknown.
YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, Calif. (@AP) — Yosemite Park spokesman: Plane fighting California wildfire crashed; pilot's status unknown.
— TheBlazeNOW (@TheBlazeNOW) October 8, 2014
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Story by the Associated Press; curated by Oliver Darcy.
YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, Calif. (AP) — California fire officials say they have lost contact with an air tanker fighting a wildfire near Yosemite National Park.
In this Sunday, Sept. 14, 2014 photo provided by YosemiteLandscapes.com, a DC-10 drops fire retardant over a wildfire at Bass Lake, Calif. (AP Photo/YosemiteLandscapes.com, Darvin Atkeson)
The twin-engine tanker can carry 1,200 gallons of fire retardant.
The fire began Tuesday afternoon near state Highway 140, which leads into the heart of the park. It has grown to about 130 acres and forced the evacuation of several dozen homes near the community of Foresta.
Image source: Cal Fire
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