From the Sterling Advocate:
http://www.journal-advocate.com/articles/2008/04/16/news/local_news/local1.txt
STERLING and ORDWAY — A Sterling company’s pilot was killed Tuesday evening after his crop-duster plane crashed while battling a blaze along Colorado 115 near Fort Carson in Colorado Springs.
Two other people were killed Tuesday in other Colorado wildfires.
The pilot, identified this morning as Gert Marais, 42, of Fort Benton, Mont., worked for Aero Applicators in Sterling. The company declined to comment this morning.
The Fort Carson blaze charred 9,600 acres — about 15 square miles — and forced the evacuation of people living near the U.S. Army base.
Sterling Fire Chief Darrell Curtis said he received a call Tuesday night from the emergency manager for northeast Colorado asking how he could contact Aero Applicators so their crop-duster planes could be used to battle the blazes. Curtis said he gave him the phone number for Fort Collins Dispatch, which could call them out.
Curtis said his fire department has worked with Aero Applicators pilots for years battling grass fires.
“We just want to extend our condolences to everyone (at Aero). They risk their lives going out in the middle of those fires, and it’s a tragedy when we lose one of them.”
