Saeed Khan / AFP / Getty Images Firefighters are pictured along a neighborhood street following a bush fire near Faulconbridge in the Blue Mountains on October 23, 2013.

An aircraft taking part in firefighting efforts in New South Wales, Australia, has crashed, igniting a new wildfire which is hindering rescue workers from reaching the pilot.

Two rescue helicopters made an attempt to winch down paramedics to the crash site around midday Thursday, but high winds and smoke forced an abortion of the mission, the Sydney Morning Herald reports.

The Rural Fire Service expressed “grave concerns” for the safety of the pilot, who was the only person on board the fixed-wing aircraft, set out to waterbomb one of the wildfires currently raging in the state.

[Sydney Morning Herald]