Helicopter Makes Emergency Landing While Responding To Tennessee Wildfire

A helicopter responding to the wildfire burning in East Tennessee was forced to make an emergency landing on Thursday (March 31).

A Tennessee National Guard UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter was airlifting water to drop on the wildfire in Sevier County when it experienced engine failure shortly before 11:30 a.m. ET, per FOX 17. The flight crew, which is part of the 171st Aviation Regiment out of Knoxville, was forced to make an emergency landing on a soccer field near Wears Valley.

Fortunately, all four crew members on board at the time were able to get out safely and no injuries were reported following the emergency landing. According to the Tennessee National Guard, the helicopter itself only sustained minor damages in the landing.

As of 3 p.m. ET, no additional information was available, including the cause of the the engine failure.

The wildfire in Sevier County was first reported around 11 a.m. local time on Wednesday amid critical fire weather conditions stemming from high winds and low humidity. The cause of the fire is still unknown at this time.

The Wears Valley wildfire, officially called the Hatcher Mountain-Indigo Lane fire, has burned over 3,700 acres and is only 5% contained as of Thursday morning, WATE reports. At least 100 structures have been either damaged or destroyed, but no fatalities or missing persons have been reported.