( CNN ) -- The pilot of an air tanker battling a wildfire at Yosemite National Park died after the tanker crashed , Cal Fire said . The tanker was being used to help battle Dog Rock Fire when authorities lost contact with its pilot Tuesday afternoon , Cal Fire spokesman Daniel Berlant said in a statement . Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor said the plane -- which had only one pilot on board -- went down near an entrance to the park . On Wednesday , officials identified the pilot as Geoffrey `` Craig '' Hunt , 62 . `` We continue to mourn the tragic loss of Craig , '' said Chief Ken Pimlott , Cal Fire director . `` We know wildland firefighting is an inherently dangerous job , but Craig made the ultimate sacrifice . '' Video from CNN affiliate KCRA showed smoke and flames rising from what appeared to be a tree-lined ridge in a remote valley . A helicopter could be seen dropping what appeared to be water on the blaze before flying from the scene . The tanker that crashed was an S-2T , one of several aircraft that Cal Fire deploys to battle wildfires . According to Cal Fire , it bought 26 such planes from the U.S. Department of Defense in 1996 and fitted them `` with modern , powerful turboprop engines '' that made them `` faster , safer , and more maneuverable . '' All but a few of those planes , equipped with a payload of retardant to drop on flames , are now being used statewide . The aircraft went down `` under unknown circumstances , '' said Gregor , the FAA spokesman . The Dog Rock Fire was reported around 2:45 p.m. ( 5:45 p.m . ET ) Tuesday between the park boundary and the Arch Rock entrance station . The blaze has already prompted the evacuation of 60 homes , most of them vacation rentals , in the park 's Foresta area , according to Cobb .
Report : The pilot is identified as Geoffrey ` ` Craig '' Hunt , Jr . Authorities lost contact with an aerial tanker while it is fighting a blaze in California . Investigators from the FAA , however , arrive on site Wednesday . Three homes have been destroyed due to the blaze , according to Yosemite spokesman .