A military helicopter crashed into a dry Texas field Wednesday, killing two solders who were on board and sparking a grass fire that forced nearby residents to flee the flames, authorities said.
The chopper — which the military said was an AH-64 Apache attack helicopter — went down near the town of Salado, located 50 miles north of Austin, the Bell County Sheriff’s Office said according to KWTX.
“It was a violent crash,” sheriff’s office spokesperson Cliff Coleman told the outlet.
Two soldiers were killed in the incident and no other injuries have been reported.
The crash sparked a “major grass fire” that forced several homes in the area to be evacuated and roads to be closed, according to the Salado Fire/Bell County ESD #1.
The FM 2843 highway was “impassable” to vehicles due to the blaze.
The Texas A&M Fire Service listed the active fire as burning 100 acres and was 45% contained as of Wednesday evening.
Authorities were first alerted to the crash at around 1:30 p.m., Fox News reported.
The Fort Hood US Army post confirmed in a statement that the aircraft involved in the fiery crash was an AH-64 Apache attack helicopter, which has a crew of two.
The attack aircraft went down roughly 30 minutes away from the Fort Hood military installation.
Local emergency services, military responders and law enforcement were actively responding to the scene, Fort Hood officials confirmed in a statement to The Post.
“Our immediate priority is securing the site and supporting the initial response efforts,” Brig. Gen. Ethan Diven, acting commanding general, said.
“Our thoughts are with the crew and their families as we await further information.”
The identities of the two soldiers killed have not been publicly released as of Wednesday afternoon.
Fort Hood is investigating the crash and will provide further information as it becomes available.
