ByREUTERS

Two US Army soldiers died when an Apache military helicopter attached to the service's Fort Hood base crashed into a field in Texas on Wednesday, sparking a large grass fire, officials said.

The accident occurred in Bell County, about 60 miles (100 km) north of the state capital Austin, said Cliff Coleman, a spokesperson with the Bell County Sheriff's Office.

The Bell County justice of the peace declared dead two people who had been on board, Coleman said.

"Today, an Apache helicopter crashed in Bell County during Fort Hood operations, killing two members of our military," Texas Governor Greg Abbott said on X/Twitter.

Local fire departments responded to blaze that broke out after crash

Fort Hood confirmed in a statement that an AH-64 attack helicopter crashed and two soldiers died but withheld their identification pending notification to their families.

US President Donald Trump salutes as members of the military carry a transfer case during a dignified transfer of the remains of six US Army service members who were killed in Kuwait, at Dover Air Force Base in Dover, Delaware, US, March 7, 2026.
US President Donald Trump salutes as members of the military carry a transfer case during a dignified transfer of the remains of six US Army service members who were killed in Kuwait, at Dover Air Force Base in Dover, Delaware, US, March 7, 2026. (credit: REUTERS/Nathan Howard)

Images provided by Coleman showed firefighters examining burning debris amid a large patch of charred grass, with smoke billowing from the scene. Several local fire departments responded to the blaze, he said.