Fatal crash under investigation as fire containment continues

The Larimer County Sheriff’s Office released an initial report with the timeline of events that lead to the fatal crash of pilot Marc Thor Olson near the fire located at Kruger Rock Tuesday evening.

High winds, warm temperatures and steep terrain increased danger to firefighters on the ground and led LCSO Incident Command to seek air support in suppressing and controlling the growing fire at Kruger Rock on Tuesday morning, the report states. LCSO reached out to CO Fire Aviation for assistance with air operations around midday and the company agreed, LCSO said.

Fort Morgan-based  CO Fire Aviation is an aerial fire suppression operation, supporting wildfire management throughout the Western U.S. The operation started in 2015, according to their website, and has assisted with daylight and night fire suppression operations in Idaho and Oregon.

After examination of wind and weather, CO Fire Aviation confirmed they would provide assistance for air support with LCSO a few hours later. Olson left Fort Morgan with a tanker full of water, coordinating with responders on the ground to make a successful water drop at Kruger Rock. According to the report, after the initial water drop, Olson communicated that winds at the fire were manageable at the time and the pilot would land in Loveland to resupply with fire suppressant.

Olson returned to the fire approximately one hour later, relaying to ground resources that turbulence over the fire made for bad conditions to make a successful airdrop. Olson told responders he would make one more pass to assess conditions before returning to Loveland to land and resume operations the following day. Ground responders heard the plane crash a few moments later, at approximately 6:37 p.m., the LCSO report stated.

Search teams located the wreckage of Olson’s plane near the south end of Hermit Park around 9:49 p.m., the report said. Olson’s body was recovered from the wreckage Wednesday morning, though no details regarding the state of the wreckage have been released at this time. Investigators from the Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Bureau are assisting local authorities in determining the cause of the crash as part of their responsibilities as federal oversight agencies. No further information has been released regarding the crash at this time.

LCSO’s relationship with CO Fire Aviation began earlier this year following a demonstration of night air operations and other aerial fire suppression techniques, according to statements from LCSO and CO Fire Aviation. Following the severity and intensity of wildfires, citing the 2020 Cameron Peak Fire in particular, LCSO said the decision to forge a relationship with CO Fire Aviation was in anticipation of limited aerial resources in wildfire management.

According to the report, LCSO entered into a verbal contract for emergency assistance as needed on Oct. 5 and the fire at Kruger Rock was the first time LCSO utilized CO Fire Aviation’s services.

The blaze at Kruger Rock started Tuesday morning, when high winds blew a tree into a powerline, setting the nearby area ablaze. The wildfire is managed by a joint command of the U.S. Forest Service and LCSO, along with assistance from numerous partner agencies.

As of 9:20 a.m. today, the fire has grown to an estimated 146 acres with 40% containment, the USFS reported. There are 210 personnel on the ground combatting the blaze. 

At this time, there have been no reports of structure damage or further encroachment on the town of Estes Park and the only reported fatality or injury was the pilot Olson. The LCSO has not extended mandatory evacuations after downgrading multiple evacuation sites yesterday to voluntary, according to NoCo Alert’s most recent information. According to an email from Longmont’s Assistant City Manager Sandi Seader, Button Rock Preserve has reopened for public access and the city will continue to monitor the situation.

This is an ongoing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.