Three people were killed Tuesday when a helicopter contracted by Pacific Gas & Electric struck one of the utility’s power lines and crashed into a hillside, igniting a grass fire and knocking out electricity to thousands of customers, officials said.
The crash of the Bell 206 helicopter was reported about 1:30 p.m. along Interstate 80, midway between the cities of Fairfield and Vacaville.
The aircraft was a third-party helicopter contracted by PG&E, said utility spokeswoman Brandi Merlo. She didn’t say what kind of work the crew was doing.
The helicopter came into contact with a transmission line before the crash, Merlo said.
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The Solano County Sheriff’s Office said three people aboard were killed, KCRA-TV reported. They weren’t immediately identified.
The helicopter caught fire after crashing, said Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor.
A firetruck responding to the blaze rolled over, sending three firefighters to the hospital with minor injuries, said CalFire spokesman Will Powers. He said the fire burned about 7 acres.
Some 38,000 PG&E customers lost power and there was no estimate for when it would be restored, Merlo said.
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The FAA and National Transportation and Safety Board will investigate the cause of the crash, Gregor said.
A helicopter under contract to Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) on Tuesday struck power lines and crashed near , California. Three occupants of the helicopter died and three firefighters were injured when their appliance rolled responding to an ensuing wildfire.
A Bell 206 helicopter, from file.
The  came down near  around 13:30 local time, during works to high-voltage power cables in the area. The  (CalFire) said several acres of land burned before the flames were extinguished. CalFire requested power line de-energisation during the emergency which cut electric supply to around 38,000 people. CalFire indicated the injuries were minor.

The three deceased were reportedly PG&E contract employees. The company said power was restored by 20:21 following delays caused by warm weather at the time. Investigations have been launched by the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board, with the latter yesterday confirming on Twitter they were "not traveling to the crash scene at this time." ''Wikinews'' approached the NTSB regarding their decision not to visit the site, but as of today the board's press office did not respond.

PG&E, currently operating under  bankruptcy protections, is currently upgrading its infrastructure to reduce wildfire risks, though as of reports on Tuesday the company had not confirmed what work the helicopter was undertaking. In a letter to '''', published on Monday, PG&E President and CEO Andy Vesey said the firm was working to install "100 miles of stronger poles and covered power lines and manage vegetation along 890 miles of our system to reduce wildfire risk." Vesey also indicated equipment is being added to lines to aid in shutdowns.