The two pilots killed when a helicopter crashed in Sevier County on Friday while battling the Widemouth 2 Fire in south-central Utah have been identified.

Chris Andersen, 64, of Stateline, Nevada, and Miles Elliott, 50, of Porterville, California, were the pilots, according to Facebook posts by Anderson’s brother and Elliott’s colleagues at the Porterville Fire Department, respectively.

Anderson and Elliott were aboard the Sikorsky S-64 Skycrane that crashed Friday. The helicopter was operating under contract with the U.S. Forest Service and the pilots worked for Helicopter Transport Services, the Porterville department said.

The crash site was outside the area of the Widemouth 2 Fire, but close enough that crews could not reach it immediately. The bodies of the two pilots were recovered Saturday afternoon.

The Widemouth 2 Fire had covered just over 118,000 acres as of noon Monday, and was listed by Utah Fire Info as 26% contained. It is the largest wildfire in Utah this season.

Andersen was an Army veteran and civilian pilot whose flying skills took him all around the world, his brother Ric Andersen said in a Facebook post. He was born in Bettencourt, Iowa, attended the University of Iowa, and made his home near Lake Tahoe. He is survived by his parents, his brother and numerous members of his extended family.

“His death came while he was doing work that demanded courage without spectacle: Flying toward a dangerous fire to protect people he did not know — and who might never have known the risks he accepted on their behalf,” Ric Andersen wrote of his brother.

Chris Andersen “had planned diligently for retirement, and was approaching that next phase with genuine anticipation,” his brother wrote. “For those who loved him, there is profound sorrow in the retirement that he had prepared for but did not get to enjoy.”

Elliott was a native of Porterville, a city of 62,000 people southeast of Fresno, where the Sierra Nevada mountains meet the southern San Joaquin Valley, and graduated from Porterville High School, the department said. He is survived by his fiancée, Briana Groves, and their son, Truxton, as well as his mother and a sister.

“Miles represented the very best of Porterville,” the city’s mayor, Greg Meister, said in a statement. “He was a devoted father, pilot, entrepreneur, photographer, mentor and an incredibly gifted person who used his talents to serve others and give back to the community he called home.”

Meister said Elliott traveled across the country to fight wildland fires, “putting the lives and safety of others before his own. It was a life of service and selflessness, and ultimately, he gave his life while protecting others.”

City officials said Elliott was a fixture in the area’s aviation community, and that he and Groves served on the Porterville Municipal Airport Committee. He also volunteered with the Experimental Aircraft Association’s Young Eagles Flights Program, “where he helped introduce young people to the experience of flight,” the department said.

Russell Isom, transportation director for the city of Porterville, said in a statement that “Miles was the kind of friend who would do anything for you, without hesitation or expectation. His mind was never still. … He was always thinking, creating and excited about what he could do next.”

A GoFundMe account has been established in Elliott’s name, to help his fiancée and their son with expenses.

Gov. Spencer Cox on Tuesday ordered flags at state facilities be lowered to half-staff in honor of Andersen and Elliott. Flags will remain lowered until interment for both men has taken place.

“Chris Andersen and Miles Elliott dedicated their lives to serving others, and they made the ultimate sacrifice while protecting our state,” Cox said in a statement. “Utah mourns with their families and loved ones and honors two men who came to our aid when we needed them most. We will never forget their service and sacrifice.”

Plans for Elliott’s memorial services are pending, the Porterville Fire Department said, and flags in the California city are being lowered to half-staff in his honor. No information was immediately available on services for Andersen.