Wawona

I'm in Mariposa, California, just outside Yosemite National Park.

And I'm Charlotte Gibb, and I'm in Wawona in Yosemite National Park.

Fantastic to have you all here.

Now, why I want to talk to you is you're each fantastic landscape photographers in your own right, but you've each come together to put together what I think is an absolutely fantastic project and a really interesting looking community.

At least 14 people have died while helping with wildfires in the U.S. this year.

Some 580 people are battling the dome fire burning north of Wawona in the western part of Yosemite.

The fire started September 15th.

It is about 15% contained.

Because my dad had been living in Mexico and San Jose on and off, and he was, like, struggling with his own battle of, like, drug use.

So then I was like, "Oh, you should move to, you should move to Yosemite, and we can, like, work through this together." And so I decided to move up to Wawona, and up in Wawona, my dad started working as a landscaper, like, or, like, on the garden team.

And I just remember him, like, really being really happy while he was, like, working there and, like, him, like, seeing him sober and experiencing sobriety for a long...

I think what Yosemite really helped my dad with was, was seeing that, right? Like, he still at that point wasn't completely clean, but he was starting to get a taste of, like, sobriety.

That is-

And for me, I think, like, that and experiencing that and being, like, seeing a different life that wasn't around substances was, was really what's got, got to me.

And so I-- Another thing that really happened was that I would get harassed a lot by a ranger when I was living in Wawona.

Like, I would always get stopped by them, and they would always search my car, and it was something that would, like...

It remains 15% contained.

And in this map, you can see the fire burning deep within the forest several miles north of Wawona.

Action News reporter Grant Johnson has more on how both of the fallen pilots are being remembered.

Action news cameras capturing a Super Puma helicopter flying over Wawona Saturday afternoon.

The helicopter came down just one day later, Sunday afternoon, killing both of its pilots.

That crew was working on doing bucket drops on our, you know, as part of our suppression operations.

It remains 15% contained.

And in this map, you can see the fire burning deep within the forest several miles north of Wawona.

Action News reporter Grant Johnson has more on how both of the fallen pilots are being remembered.

Action News cameras capturing a Super Puma helicopter flying over Wawona Saturday afternoon.

The helicopter came down just one day later, Sunday afternoon, killing both of its pilots.

That crew was working on doing bucket drops on our Serena as part of our suppression operations.

The pilot is a critical job held by two men gone too soon.

Action news cameras capturing a Super Puma helicopter flying over Wawona Saturday afternoon.

The helicopter came down just one day later, Sunday afternoon, killing both of its pilots.

That crew was working on doing bucket drops on our, you know, as part of our suppression operations.

The NTSB is leading the investigation alongside the FAA.

We expect a preliminary report within 30 days.

Live in Wawona tonight, Grant Johnson, ABC 30 Action News.

Thank you, Grant.

The deaths come as crews continue to fight the massive fire burning in Yosemite National Park.

You can see it is burning deep within the forest, several miles north of Wawona.

At last check, the fire has burned more than 3,300 acres after sparking last Tuesday.

The fire is now 15% contained as fire crews continue to try to stop forward progress.

At least 14 people have died while helping with wildfires in the U.S. this year.

Some 580 people are battling the dome fire burning north of Wawona in the western part of Yosemite.

The fire started September 15th.

It is about 15% contained.