Fighter jet crashes in Washington state, sparking wildfire

A fighter jet crashed into a mountain Saturday afternoon in Yakima County, Washington, sparking a wildfire, local officials said. 

The crash occurred at about noon near Rimrock Lake in Washington state. The pilot sustained minor injuries after ejecting from the plane and was transported to the hospital, the Yakima County Sheriff’s Office said. 

The crash sparked a fire in the area, prompting the evacuation of campers as firefighters worked to suppress it, officials said. 

The U.S. Marine Corps told CBS affiliate KIRO-TV in a statement that the crashed jet was an F/A-18 Hornet “assigned to Marine Aircraft Group 11, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing.”

The jet “experienced a non-fatal aviation mishap while conducting routine training approximately 55 miles southeast of Seattle, Washington,” the statement read. 

The 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing is based in Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego, California. 

The Naches Fire Department said the fire was being suppressed by helicopters and at least one engine from the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest crew. 

Helicopters and at least one engine from the U.S. Forest Service’s Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest also responded. The size of the blaze was unclear. 

The cause of the crash is under investigation, officials said.