Firefighting plane battling wildfires crashes in northeast Washington

A pilot of a plane fighting wildfires survived after the plane crashed in northeast Washington on Tuesday.

Washington Department of Natural Resources officials said the crash happened Tuesday afternoon. Officials said the aircraft experienced an unknown problem and issued a "MayDay" call asking for immediate help.

The pilot had to make a forced landing on a logging road. KXLY-TV reports that the pilot survived the crash and crawled to a nearby road to get help. He was later transported to the hospital.

"Firefighting aircraft work closely with ground firefighters to contain the fire. They are all part of the team. I admire the skill and bravery they exhibit on every fire," incident commander Brian Goff said.

In this photo released by The Eastern Area Incident Management Team, a Fire Boss plane, top left, a fixed wing aircraft used in wild land fire suppression, continues to battle a wildfire in eastern Washington state Sunday, Aug. 5, 2018. (Eastern Area IMT via AP)

According to reports, it was one of five FireBoss planes battling the Horns Mountain fire Tuesday.

RELATED:
How to prepare for wildfires so you can escape safely if a blaze approaches
Why it's dangerous, harmful for the public to fly drones above wildfires
How destructive wildfires create their own weather
Goats may be Portugal's secret weapon for fighting wildfire threats
How wildfires leave communities vulnerable to flooding, mudslides for years

The Horns Mountain fire was sparked by lightning and is burning right near the U.S.-Canadian border. As of Tuesday morning, the fire has burned 838 acres.