RICHFIELD, Utah (AP) — A helicopter helping battle a large Utah wildfire crashed Friday with no word on the conditions of the two people aboard as officials said they couldn't immediately reach the crash site.
The helicopter was one of seven working a fire in central Utah that was caused by lightning on July 27. It crashed near Richfield, which is about 160 miles (258 kilometers) south of Salt Lake City, the Federal Aviation Administration said.
Conditions were good enough for aircraft to fly when the helicopter crashed, said Tyler Hecht with the Great Basin Incident Management Team, at an afternoon press conference.
The helicopter had been working in an area with steep terrain and when it crashed, it ignited another fire. Response teams had not been able to get to the scene of the accident by Friday evening because of the flames, but hoped to get there in the next 24 hours, officials said.
It was unknown if fire had overrun the crash scene, Hecht said.
Firefighting efforts were paused after the accident but later resumed, they said.
The National Transportation Safety Board and FAA will investigate, but they may not be able to safely reach the scene immediately if the wildfire is burning nearby.
Fire crews were warned Friday morning that there would be erratic winds, dry fuels and hot temperatures as well as the potential for dry thunderstorms and lightning. Red flag warnings were in effect.
The fire on the Fishlake National Forest near small community of Kanosh, Utah had grown to 165 square miles (427 square kilometers) and was 19% contained by Friday morning. More than 600 firefighting personnel are battling the blaze, which has triggered evacuations and destroyed at least six structures as it burns through timber, brush and grass.
Months of dry weather, a record lack of snow in some areas, hot spells and erratic winds have contributed to blazes in Utah and other parts of the West.
Four firefighters were killed and a fifth was injured after they were overcome by a fast-moving wildfire in Colorado in June. The firefighters tried to shield themselves by deploying tentlike emergency shelters as flames overran their position.
This undated photo provided by the U.S. Forest Service on Friday, Aug. 7, 2026, shows the Widemouth 2 wildfire burning near Richfield, Utah. (U.S. Forest Service/Fishlake National Forest via AP)
CINCINNATI (AP) — A possible contract extension for running back Chase Brown has been one of the underlying questions during Cincinnati Bengals training camp.
With Detroit’s Jahmyr Gibbs, Indianapolis' Jonathan Taylor and Atlanta’s Bijan Robinson receiving new deals earlier this week, Brown is hoping he can follow suit.
“It’s huge for them individually, but then the running back market itself, it’s definitely bolstered that up. It’s cool seeing where the position value is going,” Brown said. “I think it pushes up everybody’s market value. I love the way it keeps climbing, and I hope it keeps trending in that direction.”
If Brown gets an extension before the Sept. 13 season opener against Tampa Bay, it must be completed by Labor Day. Director of player personnel Duke Tobin has prioritized signing some 2022 and ’23 draft picks to extensions before the regular season. Besides Brown, safety Dax Hill (a first-round pick in 2022) and cornerback DJ Turner (a second-round pick in 2023) are also on Tobin’s list to re-sign.
Brown, entering his fourth season, is in the same mold as Gibbs and Robinson. All three are talented running backs who are also skilled at catching the ball out of the backfield. Brown was one of five NFL players with at least 1,000 rushing and 400 receiving yards.
Brown’s 123 receptions the past two seasons are fourth among NFL running backs, and his nine receiving touchdowns are tied for second.
“We wouldn’t be as good of an offense as we are and that we plan to be, if we didn’t have Chase,” quarterback Joe Burrow said. “There’s only a couple backs in this league that can do all the things that he does, and probably doesn’t get as many opportunities as he should because of the other guys that we have, but he just makes big plays when he touches it.”
Brown’s 1,456 scrimmage yards last season were an NFL single-season record for a Canadian-born player. The London, Ontario, native also had a franchise record six straight games with at least 100 scrimmage yards.
In his first year as the Bengals’ top back, Brown rushed for 1,019 yards. He started slow in the first six games, averaging 2.7 yards per carry, but averaged 5.7 in the final 11.
“I just want to be a more patient runner, kind of what I was doing in the later half of last season,” he said.
Brown is already a great receiver but said he worked to become more aggressive catching the ball during the offseason. He also believes that with all 11 starters returning, the offense can present more looks and formations, which could help spur the running game.
Samaje Perine is also back as Brown’s backup along with Tahj Brooks, who is going into his second season.
“I feel like there’s a lot that we can get better at as a group and that’s kind of what you figure out as training camp goes on. But I think it has been a good start,” Brown said. “We’re trying to transfer that late-season energy into the start of this year.”
Brown will also be key if the Bengals want to get back to the playoffs for the first time since 2022. Cincinnati was 6-11 — including 1-8 when Burrow missed nine games due to turf toe.
“He does everything. He’s a complete back. He can protect. He trains as a receiver all offseason. When you have a guy like that, you don’t have to take him off the field,” Burrow said of Brown. “You can build different packages for him in different places on the field. Obviously we’re going to get the ball in No. 1 (Ja’Marr Chase’s) hands as many times as we can. But I think a close second is Chase Brown just because of how explosive he is and the things he can do with the ball in his hands.”
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
Cincinnati Bengals running back Chase Brown (30) carries the ball during practice at the team's NFL football training camp, Wednesday, July 29, 2026, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Kareem Elgazzar)
