Divers recovered the body of a pilot after a firefighting plane crashed into Silver Jack Reservoir in southwestern Gunnison County on Sunday, the Gunnison County Sheriff's Office said.
The sheriff's regional communications center was notified of the crash at about 5:17 p.m., and a dive team and other rescue resources were dispatched, the office said.
The office said the aircraft had been confirmed to be engaged in firefighting operations for the Gold Mountain Fire, which was first reported June 27; as of Monday morning the fire had burned more than 35,000 acres and was 13% contained, and the cause remained undetermined.
The Montrose County sheriff's office dive team recovered the pilot's body from the aircraft, and Gunnison County Sheriff Adam Murdie said the body was being taken to the Gunnison county coroner's office and that the person's identity would not be released until next of kin were notified.
Evacuation orders have been issued for parts of southwestern Gunnison County, authorities said.
On July 1, Gov. Jared Polis announced the state had been approved for a Federal Emergency Management Agency fire management assistance grant to support the response to the Gold Mountain Fire, and Polis said, "I am deeply grateful for the hardworking brave firefighters putting their lives on the line to protect us and keep our communities safe."
The pilot's death came as firefighters continued to battle several major wildfires across Colorado; authorities said the Ferris fire had burned more than 64,000 acres and was 23% contained as of Sunday, the Willow fire had burned 5,853 acres and was 33% contained, and the Aspen Acres fire had burned 98,100 acres and was 35% contained. The U.S. Wildland Fire Service announced that three firefighters were killed and two others were injured while responding to wildfires along the Colorado-Utah border in late June.