Nina Pacchia is speaking out about her husband, firefighting pilot Ryan Cutter, after he was killed battling a Yosemite wildfire.
Cutter, a Utah helicopter pilot, and Greg King, an Alaskan pilot, both died when their aircraft crashed while fighting the Yosemite Dome Fire. A joint memorial procession was held for the two men last week in California, and on Tuesday separate processions carried each pilot back to his home state.
Pacchia, who married Cutter in 2016, told The Park Record that she finds some comfort in knowing her husband died doing work he was passionate about. The couple first met in 2012, when Cutter was already working as a helicopter pilot and pursued extreme sports including BASE jumping, paragliding and skydiving.
“I knew Ryan was doing what he loved. It’s very rare to find someone who loves what they do like Ryan did,” Pacchia told The Park Record.
She added that the firefighting community’s response has helped her understand the depth of her husband’s dedication to the profession.
“I didn’t consider him a firefighter until all of this happened, and there was a white-glove, red carpet memorial, the utmost care, sensitivity and outpouring from the firefighting community,” she continued.
The two pilots’ deaths came as they fought the Yosemite Dome Fire, which began around 7 a.m. On Sept. 15 when an abandoned campfire sparked the blaze, according to Cal Fire. The fire burned approximately 5,500 acres and forced the closure of multiple trails in Yosemite National Park. As of Wednesday, crews had contained more than a third of the fire.
Cutter had switched from air medical work to firefighting in 2017, a move that fulfilled a long-held goal. Pacchia said the invitations she has received to memorial services and to Precision Helicopter’s Christmas parties — the company that operated the helicopter — will help her preserve her connection to her late husband.
“They’ve really wrapped their arms around me, and I know they’ve done the same with Kelly, the other pilot’s wife. She and I communicate every day,” Pacchia said.
The financial toll of the loss has prompted community support for both families. A GoFundMe created to help Pacchia process Cutter’s death and ease her financial strain has raised more than $82,700. A separate fundraiser for King’s wife and daughters has brought in over $104,000.
Pacchia expressed gratitude for the generosity she has experienced since the crash.
“I don’t know how I’m going to move forward, but the generosity, it’s a memorialization of Ryan’s (own) generosity,” she said.
The joint California procession and Tuesday’s separate home-state processions marked formal honors for both men, whose deaths have drawn attention to the dangers faced by aerial firefighters. The Yosemite Dome Fire is among several significant blazes to challenge Western states this season.
Cal Fire’s determination that an abandoned campfire caused the blaze has underscored the human origins of many destructive wildfires, even as climate conditions amplify their spread and intensity across the region.