4 killed in crash of sheriff's office helicopter returning from New Mexico wildfire
Las Vegas, New Mexico — Four people were killed in a crash of a Bernalillo County Sheriff's Office helicopter that was headed back to Albuquerque after assisting firefighters in another New Mexico city, authorities said Sunday.
Sheriff's officials said three people from the sheriff's office and a county firefighter were aboard the helicopter when it went down near Las Vegas, New Mexico, about 123 miles northeast of Albuquerque.
Killed in the crash were Undersheriff Larry Koren, Lt. Fred Beers, Deputy Michael Levison and county Fire and Rescue Department Specialist Matthew King, according to sheriff's officials.
The ages of the four men weren't immediately available.
A Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman had said the Bell UH-1H helicopter crashed around 10 p.m. Saturday, but sheriff's officials said it was about 7:20 p.m.
The cause of the crash is unknown and will be investigated by the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board.
New Mexico State Police confirmed the crash and the fatalities around 12:15 a.m. Sunday. They said helicopter and its crew had been assisting with a wildfire in the Las Vegas area Saturday, providing bucket drops and other air logistics needed by fire crews on the ground.
Aerial video from KOAT-TV showed the wreckage of the helicopter in at least two pieces among some desert shrubs, the Albuquerque Journal reported.
"I am heartbroken by the tragic loss of four New Mexicans while in the line of duty," Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said in a statement. "As we await additional details on the investigation, my office will offer any available support and assistance to the sheriff's office and the county. State resources will be fully available to assist the investigation."
CBS Albuquerque affiliate KQRE-TV reported that first responders and others lined I-25 Sunday afternoon as a motorcade carrying the four victims' bodies from the crash scene to the medical examiner's office made it way through the city.
"They live heroic lives, you know, they live dangerously to help us," Matthew Bugg remarked to the station as he watched the motorcade pass by. "These guys and gals sacrifice so much. You never know if these things happen to them, when they're gonna come home."
"It's like I lost a family member," Rick Sanchez said to KQRE as he watched the procession drive by.
In the past several days, the Bernalillo County Sheriff's Office used its Metro 2 helicopter to fight a small fire in the East Mountains near Albuquerque and another fire near Santa Fe, according to KQRE.
