Wildfire helicopter in crash at Fort Good Hope airport, officials say

A helicopter accident has taken place at Fort Good Hope’s airport, the Transportation Safety Board of Canada said on Friday evening.

Earlier in the afternoon, police said they had dispatched officers to the scene of a helicopter crash.

NWT Fire has confirmed the incident happened during wildfire management operations.

“This is an emerging situation, and the incident is being handled by the appropriate authorities,” fire information officer Mike Westwick wrote in a short statement at 5pm.

Exactly what happened remains unclear.

The TSB, which investigates aviation accidents, said the incident involved a Bell Textron B212 operated by Great Slave Helicopters.

“The TSB will be gathering information and assessing the occurrence,” the board stated in a brief news release just after 6:30pm.

RCMP said the incident occurred at approximately 2pm. The number of people on board and their condition was not clear.

Fort Good Hope has been evacuated for the past two weeks because of a 6,000-hectare wildfire at the edge of the community.

Dozens of firefighters have worked around the clock recently to hold the fire at bay, particularly as warm, dry conditions intensified this week.

The B212 is a twin-engine helicopter that can either be configured to carry cargo or to move up to 14 passengers. It can also be used for water drops over wildfires.

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