FAIRFIELD (CBS SF) — Authorities are investigating the Tuesday afternoon crash of a helicopter contracted by PG&E in a remote part of Fairfield after the chopper struck a high-voltage line.
The three passengers believed to be on the helicopter who were working for PG&E are presumed dead.
KPIX 5 has learned that the helicopter was contracted by PG&E to do work for the utility. The three people on board were working on high-voltage lines in the area of the crash.
PG&E confirmed that at around 1 p,m, the helicopter struck 115,000-volt power line near Vacaville and crashed. The crash started fire in area.
FAA Pacific Division Communications Manager Ian Gregor confirmed that a Bell 206 helicopter crashed under unknown circumstances near the intersection of Lyon Road and Soda Springs Road.
The helicopter caught fire after crashing, Gregor said. The FAA said they believe there were three people on board the helicopter.
A plume of smoke was visible rising from the crash area for several hours. Cal Fire said a fire caused by the crash spread to about five acres and has since been put out.
At around 3 p.m., a power-line serving 38,000 customers was de-energized at request of Cal Fire. According to the Solano County Sheriff’s Office, the outage was ongoing.
Cal Fire said a water tanker truck responding to the area to help battle the fire rolled, causing minor injuries to the fire personnel on the vehicle.
PG&E is working to restore power to customers, but heat in the area is causing delays.
There was no word from authorities on the condition of the passengers. While the Solano County Sheriff’s Office has not yet been able to confirm their condition, the passengers are presumed dead.
The FAA and NTSB will investigate the incident.
Lyon Road is currently closed in both directions with no ETA for reopening.
CBS SF is monitoring this developing story and will provide additional updates as information is made available.
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.