A medical helicopter operated by ARCH Air Medical Transport crashed Thursday evening in Hartford, Illinois, injuring all three people on board and igniting a fire near the crash site.
The incident occurred around 9 p.m. as the helicopter was attempting to take off from a vacant lot on North Delmar Avenue, directly across from the Hartford Fire Department. According to eyewitnesses, the aircraft clipped a tree limb approximately 50 feet in the air during a training exercise, causing it to crash.
The impact sparked a fire, prompting a swift response from multiple fire departments, including crews from Hartford, South Roxana, and Wood River. A strong odor of fuel lingered throughout downtown Hartford following the crash.
Emergency services transported one of the injured via a second ARCH Air Medical helicopter, while the other two were taken by ambulance. As of Thursday night, the conditions of those injured had not been released.
Both ARCH Air Medical Services and the Hartford Fire Department have yet to issue official statements. The cause of the crash remains under investigation.
