TL;DR: A U.S. Marine Corps F/A-18 Hornet crashed near Rimrock Lake on June 13, 2026, the pilot ejected with minor injuries, and the wreckage started the 2-acre Pine Tree Fire that closed roads and forced camper evacuations.
What happened at Rimrock Lake on June 13
A U.S. Marine Corps fighter jet went down near Rimrock Lake in Yakima County on Saturday afternoon, June 13, 2026, and ignited a wildfire on the south side of the lake, according to The Seattle Times.
The aircraft was an F/A-18 Hornet assigned to Marine Aircraft Group 11, an aviation unit of the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing based at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar near San Diego, California, according to CBS News.
The Marine Corps described the event as a non-fatal aviation mishap during routine training approximately 55 miles southeast of Seattle, Washington, according to NBC News.
The mishap occurred around noon on Saturday, with one local report placing the time at about 12:15 p.m. near Rimrock Lake, according to KING 5 and CBS News.
The pilot safely ejected before impact and was transported to a hospital for treatment and assessment, according to The Seattle Times.
The Yakima County Sheriff's Office said the pilot sustained minor injuries, according to CBS News.
A Yakima County Sheriff's Department mountain pass deputy made contact with the pilot after the wreck, and sheriff's officials recovered the Marine, according to NBC News.
The crash site lies southeast of Mount Rainier National Park, in woodlands that fall within the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, according to The Seattle Times and NBC News.
One Marine Corps assessment placed the training area roughly 125 miles southeast of Seattle, while other official descriptions cited 55 miles southeast of Seattle, according to NBC News and CBS News.
The Yakima Herald-Republic placed the same noon crash about 52 miles from Yakima, underscoring how the response spanned county, federal forest and military jurisdictions.
Pilot ejection and initial rescue
The pilot was on a routine training flight and encountered trouble around noon Saturday, according to The Seattle Times.
Sheriff's personnel reached the aviator in the mountain terrain after ejection, according to NBC News.
The pilot was then taken to a nearby medical facility with minor injuries, according to KING 5.
No other injuries were reported in the initial statements from the Naches Fire Department, the Yakima County Sheriff's Office and the Marine Corps, according to CBS News and The Seattle Times.
A Marine Corps spokesperson reached by phone declined to comment beyond the written release on Saturday, according to The Seattle Times.
The service said the cause of the mishap was under investigation Saturday, according to The Seattle Times.
In its formal statement, Marine Aircraft Group 11, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing said investigations of this type could take months, according to NBC News.
The statement added that no additional details were available to preserve the integrity of the investigation, according to NBC News.
Military agencies were notified of the incident and planned to send personnel and resources to Yakima County, according to KING 5.
Pine Tree Fire: size, containment and fire attack
Wreckage from the Hornet started a brush fire in timber near the lake, according to NBC News.
The blaze was named the Pine Tree Fire and was listed at two acres as of 9 p.m. Saturday by the National Interagency Fire Center, with a location just off Forest Road 1241, according to KING 5.
A Washington Department of Natural Resources spokesperson placed the fire at about 1.5 acres as of 5:30 p.m. Saturday, with air support assisting ground crews, according to KIRO 7 reporting referenced in the regional coverage.
By Saturday evening, the fire covered about 2 acres and was 30% contained, according to The Seattle Times.
The flames were suppressed by helicopters and at least one fire engine from the U.S. Forest Service Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, according to The Seattle Times.
Helicopters and at least one engine from the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest crew worked the fire through the afternoon and evening, according to KING 5.
The U.S. Forest Service and the Department of Natural Resources assisted with firefighting efforts, with DNR providing air support, according to KIRO 7 reporting referenced in the regional coverage.
Fire crews advised people to stay out of the area southeast of the national park while aircraft worked overhead, according to The Seattle Times.
The Naches Fire Department reported around 5 p.m. Saturday that units had completed structure protection near the Bear Creek cabins and had cleared the scene, according to The Seattle Times.
The department said its water tender would remain on scene through the afternoon and would likely return Sunday morning to support mop-up operations, according to The Seattle Times and KING 5.
Naches crews evacuated a nearby campsite while protecting cabin structures near Bear Creek, according to KING 5.
Sunday mop-up was planned to check for hot spots and prevent reignition, according to FOX 13 Seattle coverage of the Naches Fire Department plan.
Road closures and camper evacuations
The 1200 Road system on the south side of Rimrock was shut down for safety during the fire attack, according to KING 5.
By 4:45 p.m. Saturday, campers were being evacuated by local agencies as the closure took effect, according to FOX 13 Seattle reporting on the Naches Fire Department response.
Campers were being evacuated from the area by multiple law enforcement agencies, according to KOMO News reporting on the incident.
Law enforcement officers said they would share additional information when available, according to KING 5.
Officials asked recreationists to avoid the area until further notice while investigators and firefighters worked, according to KOMO News reporting.
The Bear Creek cabins received structure protection before crews cleared the immediate scene, according to The Seattle Times.
Air support crews continued attacking the fire into the evening alongside at least one Forest Service engine crew, according to FOX 13 Seattle reporting.
What witnesses reported lakeside
Two lakeside witnesses described low jets over Rimrock Lake shortly before the crash, according to KING 5.
Tina Liniger, who was watching training flights from lakeside, said a couple of jets had already buzzed over the lake before another aircraft approached making unusual sounds, according to KING 5.
She said the approaching jet made popping sounds that observers initially thought were air noises from the jet, according to KING 5.
Liniger said her group walked to the lakefront and could see smoke after the sound, according to KING 5.
Marissa Fernandez, who was watching aircraft with family, said a jet started smoking mid-air, went down and hit trees, according to KING 5.
Fernandez said her group saw the pilot eject and hoped the landing was safe, according to KING 5.
Those accounts align with the official timeline of a noon training mishap followed by a wildfire response, according to KING 5 and CBS News.
No official cause had been confirmed by the June 14 archive cutoff, and witness observations do not establish why the aircraft went down, according to KING 5 and NBC News.
Why this terrain complicates survival and rescue
The 2,546-acre Rimrock Lake reservoir sits along Highway 12 about 10 miles east of White Pass within the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, according to KING 5.
The region holds dozens of dispersed and established campsites, snow-sport terrain, and hiking and backpacking routes, according to KING 5.
The Pacific Crest Trail crosses White Pass a few miles from the fire area, placing long-distance hikers near the same road and forest network, according to KING 5.
The fire was shown on the Western Fire Chiefs map in the south-central area of the lake across from Hart Creek Summer Homes and just west of Peninsula Campground, according to FOX 13 Seattle reporting.
Campers evacuated Saturday left a zone where one road system, forest tracks, cabins and lakeshore sites converge, according to KING 5 and FOX 13 Seattle reporting.
For prepared adventurers, the incident shows why occupants of a busy lake basin need a vehicle exit plan, a walk-out route, and a way to receive closure orders when aircraft are operating overhead, as general readiness practice for the conditions described by responders.
It also shows why campers should be ready to leave quickly when officials order evacuations on a single forest road, as happened on the south side of Rimrock, according to KING 5.
Carrying a charged communication device, paper map of forest roads, headlamp, water and dust protection supports a fast exit when smoke appears, as general preparedness consistent with the evacuation conditions reported.
A repeat crash corridor in the Cascades
In October 2024, two aviators based at Whidbey Island were killed when their Navy EA-18G Growler crashed on a routine training flight in the same general area east of Mount Rainier near White Pass, according to The Seattle Times.
The two crash sites are about 15 miles apart, according to The Seattle Times.
The Growler is a modified version of the F-18 outfitted for radar jamming and electronic warfare, according to The Seattle Times.
After the 2024 crash, the Navy lost three more Growlers based at Whidbey Island in two separate incidents, according to The Seattle Times.
The June 13 Hornet crash appears to be the first military jet to go down in the Cascades since 2024, according to The Seattle Times.
Both recent crashes were in the general area of a flight path often used for high-speed, low-altitude military training, known as the Million Dollar Ride, according to The Seattle Times.