A veteran firefighting pilot from Sooke has died after the helicopter he was flying crashed into a Colorado reservoir while battling a wildfire.<\/p>\n
The Gunnison County Sheriff\u2019s Office confirmed Sunday that Nicholas Dale, 56, of Sooke, was killed when his Kaman K-1200 K-MAX helicopter crashed into Silver Jack Reservoir at 5:17 p.m. July 12.<\/p>\n
Dale was the lone occupant of the aircraft and was conducting wildfire suppression operations on the Gold Mountain Fire when the helicopter went down.<\/p>\n
The Montrose County Sheriff\u2019s Office Dive Team later recovered his body from the submerged aircraft, which was then transferred to the Gunnison County Coroner\u2019s Office.<\/p>\n
On Monday, a procession of law enforcement vehicles escorted Dale\u2019s body from Gunnison to Grand Junction. Residents lined portions of the route to pay their respects to the fallen pilot and the thousands of firefighters battling wildfires across the western United States.<\/p>\n
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis said state flags will be lowered to half-staff on the day of Dale\u2019s memorial service.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are committed to supporting our brave firefighters and their families, and the state stands ready to support any investigation into this tragic incident,\u201d Polis said.<\/p>\n