A small plane crash sparked a grass fire near southern Colorado’s South Fork on Tuesday, according to a press release from South Fork Fire Rescue.
At around 9:45am on June 10th, the fire rescue agency learned of the plane crash near the Shoshone Trail, just outside of South Fork. Crews found a small single-engine airplane in flames int he middle of a field south of Shoshone Trail. Surrounding vegetation did burn, causing a weed and grass fire that was quickly extinguished by responding crews.
The San Luis Valley, which includes South Fork, was under a Red Flag Warning at the time of the crash. Southwest winds were gusting up to 50mph and the relative humidity was as low as 11 percent, creating perfect conditions for fast fire spread. Fortunately the quick work of responding crews prevented the fire from growing into a larger wildfire.
The aircraft took off from a private airstrip near South Fork, experiencing engine power issues and forcing the occupants to attempt a land at Chapman Field. Unfortunately the emergency landing failed causing the crash. Both occupants were able to self-extricate from the vehicle prior to the arrival of fire and EMS personnel, sustaining minor injuries. One patient was brought to Rio Grande Hospital.
Both South Fork Fire Rescue and the Rio Grande County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene. The incident has been reported to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) who will be conducting an investigation.
