Air tanker crashes fighting Yosemite fire (approximated)

(http://blog.sfgate.com/stew/2014/10/07/wildfire-closes-yosemite-road-prompts-evacuations/) An air tanker battling a fire burning on the west side of Yosemite National Park 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 plane, a Grumman S2 Tracker that is operated by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and is designed to drop flame retardant from its belly, crashed about 4:30 p.m. near Arch Rock, said Ashley Mayer, a Yosemite spokeswoman. At about 6:45 p.m, Cal Fire reported that rescue teams had reached the crash site in rugged terrain and were working to determine the condition of the pilot.It was not clear whether anyone was on the plane besides the pilot, but the Grumman S2 Tracker is usually flown with only a pilot aboard, said Alyssa √Smith, a Cal Fire spokeswoman.