Military helicopter crashes near Army Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington

A military helicopter crashed Wednesday evening near Army Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington state, according to the U.S. Army.

The Army helicopter crash occurred at about 9 p.m. near the base, an Army official told The Associated Press. It is unknown how many people were aboard and their conditions.

“This remains a developing situation, and no additional details are available at this time,” the official said.

The Thurston County sheriff’s office, based in Olympia, said Wednesday that deputies were dispatched following reports of a possible helicopter crash in the Summit Lake area, west of Olympia.

“We have been advised that the military lost contact with a helicopter in the area,” the sheriff's department said. The department added that it was working with the base and no further details were available.

Thurston County Sheriff Derek Sanders said that deputies located the crash site, “but have been unable to continue rescue efforts as the scene is on fire.

He added that the King County Guardian 1 helicopter and special operation rescue units responded to the crash site.