At 12:18 p.m. on July 22, 2000, a fire broke out on Pico Canyon Road just north of Stevenson Ranch Parkway, “destroying one home and charring 20 acres in Pico Canyon.”
According to SCV History, “About 125 Los Angeles County firefighters and three helicopters responded to the fire… While suppressing the fire, one fire department helicopter experienced mechanical trouble and came down hard on an empty patch of land over the hill from the fire.”
According to Fire Captain Steve King, “There was no water in his tanks, so I’m assuming he was probably on his way back to the heli-spot to reload.” Another witness, Chris Cristian, project superintendent at the adjacent development site, stated: “I thought the thing was going to somersault; I’m surprised the rotors didn’t touch (the ground).”…