At 9:52 AM, National Park Service helicopter pilot Tom Caldwell with NPS Rangers; Ernie Kuncl and Charlie Peterson (EMT) were the first to respond to the accident scene.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Upon arrival, both tour aircraft were completely engulfed in flames. Ranger Peterson remained at the site as the interim Accident Scene Coordinator. No attempts were made to extinguish the fires which burned for several hours.