By SPA,
Flagstaff, Arizona : Two medical helicopters collided about a half-mile (kilometer) from a northern Arizona hospital, killing six people and critically injuring a nurse, a federal official said. Two emergency workers on the ground were injured after the crash, the Associated Press reported.
One of the helicopters was operated by Air Methods out of Englewood, Colorado, and the other was from Classic Helicopters of Woods Cross, Utah. Both aircraft were Bell 407 models, said Ian Gregor, a spokesman with the Federal Aviation Administration.
After the collision Sunday, the helicopters crashed in a wooded area east of Flagstaff Medical Center and started a 10-acre (4-hectare) brush fire. An explosion on one of the aircraft after the crash injured two emergency workers who arrived with a ground ambulance company. They suffered minor burns, but their injuries were not life-threatening, authorities said.