Newsday

AP Top News - 06/04/2000 Firefighting Copter Crashes in Fla.

FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) -- A government helicopter fighting wildfires in southwest Florida crashed Sunday morning, killing the pilot.

The Bell UH-1 Huey was equipped to carry 200 gallons of water, said Liz Compton, a Florida Department of Agriculture spokeswoman.

''He had dumped the load and was going back to get more water when he crashed,'' Compton said.

The helicopter was being flown for the Division of Forestry. The cause of the crash is under investigation.

The pilot, George A. Burton, 48, had been fighting a fire that reportedly threatened about a dozen homes near Fort Myers. Fire officials could not immediately confirm the extent of the blaze.

(snip)

-- Rachel Gibson (rgibson@hotmail.com), June 04, 2000