The army did not disclose the condition of those on board the helicopter, and an investigation into the cause of the incident is underway, according to local media reports on Thursday. The media quoted the army saying that the helicopter, an MH-60 Black Hawk belonging to the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, crashed around 9 PM near Summit Lake in a rural area west of Washington, near Joint Base Lewis-McChord. Army officials stated that emergency crews faced difficulties reaching the crash site due to dense vegetation and the remote location. The Thurston County Sheriff’s Office stated that the base lost contact with the helicopter and had identified the crash site. Derek Sanders, the Sheriff of Thurston County, commented on social media, saying, “Deputies located the crash site but were unable to continue rescue efforts because the site was on fire, and their boots began to overheat.”
