Two soldiers who were on a military helicopter were killed Wednesday when it crashed in Salado, Texas, the Bell County Sheriff's Office said.
Videos by Wide Open Country
"It was a violent crash," sheriff's office spokesperson Cliff Coleman told KWTX.
They were pronounced dead after officials responded to 911 calls around 1:30 PM, sheriff's spokesperson Cliff Coleman said. Salado is about 50 miles north of Austin.
The Army AH-64 Apache attack helicopter is based at Fort Hood, the military installation said.
The soldiers were taken to Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center at Fort Hood, and their names are being withheld until 24 hours after their families can be notified.
Since the helicopter crashed on dry land, it sparked a "major grass fire."
Several homes were forced to evacuate, and the fire caused multiple road closures, according to the
Salado Fire/Bell County ESD #1.Helicopter Crash Sparks Massive Fire in Texas
Texas A&M Fire Service data reported that the blaze scorched 100 acres. As of Wednesday, the fire was 45 percent contained.
"Our immediate priority is securing the site and supporting the initial response efforts," Brig. Gen. Ethan Diven, acting commanding general, said.
"Our thoughts are with the crew and their families as we await further information."
The unfortunate incident marks the second time this month that a helicopter crash has sparked a wildfire.
Last week, two helicopter pilots died while combating a wildfire in Utah.
The pilots were killed when their Sikorsky Skycrane went down Friday morning, according to the Sevier County Sheriff.
The crash sparked a new fire that spread to connect with the existing blaze. Ground crews tried to reach the area of the downed craft, but fire conditions prevented their safe access.
Sevier County Sheriff Nathan Curtis held a press conference on Sunday once the remains of the two victims were retrieved.
"We could see two different plumes of smoke. One from the crash site and one from an active fire coming toward us," Curtis told reporters.
Curtis added that, due to the severity of the fire, emergency crews were delayed in retrieving the fallen pilots.
"It was not an easy choice to move those responders," Curtis said. "But thanks to good safety measures and people who were on the ground right there, they were able to determine that if we had not gone that way, we'd have lost more lives."
