THOUSAND OAKS : Copter Fire Inquiry May Take 6 Months

An investigation into what caused a Ventura County Sheriff’s Department helicopter to catch fire during a controlled burn Wednesday could last as long as six months, an investigator said Thursday.

Crews on Thursday cleared wreckage from the hilltop where the chopper landed about half a mile outside the 500-acre controlled burn east of Thousand Oaks. The chopper had been dropping incendiary devices to help ignite the planned blaze in the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, officials said.

Meanwhile, pilot Chris Spangenberg, 48, of Camarillo was released from Sherman Oaks Hospital and Health Center after being treated for first- and second-degree burns to his face, arm and right leg, a hospital spokeswoman said.

Crew Chief Jeff Lawrence, 42, of Oxnard was also on board, but was not injured. The helicopter was assisting the National Park Service and Ventura County Fire Department in the operation.

The National Transportation Safety Board is conducting the investigation with the help of the Sheriff’s Department and the Federal Aviation Administration, lead investigator Scott Erickson said. The report will be forwarded to the safety board’s headquarters in Washington in about six months, Erickson said.

Officials would not speculate on the fire’s cause. But contrary to some early reports, Erickson confirmed that the helicopter was on the ground when the blaze began.