2 killed as US military helicopter crashes in Texas

A US military helicopter crashed in central Texas on Wednesday, killing both people on board and igniting a massive grass fire that forced nearby residents to flee their homes.

Cliff Coleman, public information officer for the Bell County Sheriff’s Office, said there were two people on board and confirmed that both individuals were pronounced deceased following the "violent crash" into a field south of Salado.

The AH-64 Apache attack helicopter, operating out of the Fort Hood military installation, went down at approximately 1.34 pm local time (1834GMT), approximately half a mile from a residential block. While the aircraft did not strike any homes, the resulting wildfire remained uncontained as of Wednesday afternoon, Coleman said.

Multiple fire departments responded to the scene to battle the flames, which were exacerbated by strong southern winds.

Authorities implemented precautionary evacuations for residents along Route FM 2843. The Fort Hood Criminal Investigation Division has launched a formal probe to determine the cause of the crash.

Coleman deferred specific questions regarding the helicopter’s flight path or the official military status of the deceased to military authorities.