Air tanker crashes battling Yosemite wildfire; pilot dies

In this photo provided by Donald Talend, smoke rises from a plane crash Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2014, near Chinquapin, Calif. The S-2T air tanker fighting a wildfire near Yosemite National Park in Northern California crashed, but there was no immediate word on the condition of the pilot, who was the only person aboard, officials said. (AP Photo/Donald Talend) less In this photo provided by Donald Talend, smoke rises from a plane crash Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2014, near Chinquapin, Calif. The S-2T air tanker fighting a wildfire near Yosemite National Park in Northern California ... more Photo: Donald Talend, Associated Press Photo: Donald Talend, Associated Press Image 1 of / 3 Caption Close Air tanker crashes battling Yosemite wildfire; pilot dies 1 / 3 Back to Gallery

The pilot of an air tanker died battling a fire on the west side of Yosemite National Park after his plane crashed Tuesday afternoon, authorities said, underscoring the danger of wildfires fueled by the historic drought that have broken out across the state in recent months.

The pilot, whose name has not been released, was based out of the Hollister Air Attack Base and was flying Tanker 81, a Grumman S2 Tracker operated by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, according to the agency. The plane, which is designed to drop flame retardant from its belly, crashed at about 4:30 p.m. near Arch Rock, said Ashley Mayer, a Yosemite spokeswoman.

“This crash underscores just how inherently dangerous wildland firefighting is and the job is further compounded this year by extreme fire conditions,” said Cal Fire director Chief Ken Pimlott in a written statement.

Pimlott said Cal Fire officials secured the crash site and will be cooperating with federal investigators.

Ken Yager, 55, who lives nearby, was taking pictures of the fire in the area where the plane went down. He said he knew instantly that something was wrong.

“I saw a huge plume of black smoke coming from Parkline Slab,” he said referring to an expanse of barren rock on the north side of Highway 140 between the town of El Portal and the Arch Rock entrance to the park. “You could tell it was something bad because the smoke was a different color. I’ve seen my share of fires up here and this was different.”

About 6:45 p.m, Cal Fire reported that rescue teams had reached the crash site in rugged terrain.

The Dog Rock Fire broke out Tuesday afternoon, prompting road closures and evacuations as it quickly scorched more than 130 acres, officials said.

The fire was reported around 2:45 p.m. off El Portal Road — the continuation of Highway 140 that leads into Yosemite — between the park boundary and the Arch Rock entrance station.

About 50 people were evacuated from the community of Foresta, officials said, and El Portal Road between the park boundary and the junction with Big Oak Flat Road was closed.

Visitors trying to get to Yosemite Valley could still take Wawona Road, which is an extension of Highway 41, or Big Oak Flat Road, an extension of Highway 120.

Cal Fire has been using aircraft to fight fires since the 1950s, beginning with World War II biplanes and torpedo bombers. It now has a fleet of more than 50 aircraft, including helicopters and planes. Some drop water or retardant and others are used to plan strategy and drop off firefighters.

The agency began using the S2 Trackers in the 1970s, and sped up its transition to the former military planes after six accidents within a two year period involving torpedo bombers. The S2 Trackers were originally built as an aircraft carrier-based, antisubmarine warfare plane.

Cal Fire now has about two dozen of the newest version of the S2 Tracker, which hauls up to 1,200 gallons of retardant at a time and can travel in excess of 300 mph. They are used when the agency needs to quickly drop retardant on advancing blazes.

The most recent aircraft-related death at Cal Fire occurred in 2006, when a spotter plane crashed in the Mountain Home Demonstration State Forest in Tulare County, killing the two people on board. Federal investigators found the cause was pilot error.

Marisa Lagos and Kale Williams are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. E-mail: mlagos@sfchronicle.com, kwilliams@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @mlagos, @sfkale