SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Nine firefighters were missing and feared dead in the crash of an Oregon-based helicopter that was carrying firefighters over a Northern California forest, officials said Wednesday.

The Carson Helicopter Sikorsky S-61 was carrying 11 firefighters and two crew members when it went down Tuesday night in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest, said Ian Gregor, spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration.

Leslie Habetler, spokeswoman for the Grayback company couold not confirm how many Grayback employees were in the helicopter when it crashed.

Four people were taken to hospitals with severe burns, including two in critical condition, according to the U.S. Forest Service.

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An Oregon-based chopper crashed 15 miles NE of Junction City, near Redding California.

Three of the survivors were identified as Jonathan Frohreich, listed in serious condition, Michael Brown, listed in fair condition, and Rick Schroeder, in serious but stable. All three were from Southern Oregon.

Carson's West Coast operations are based in Grants Pass.

The chopper was destroyed by fire after crashing "under unknown circumstances" in a remote mountain location, Gregor said. FAA and National Transportation Safety Board investigators were headed to the scene, about 215 miles northwest of Sacramento.

Google Map: Crash location

The nine were presumably killed in the fire that destroyed the helicopter, Gregor said.

The firefighters had been working at the northern end of a fire burning on more than 27 square miles in the national forest, part of a larger complex of blazes that is mostly contained.

Firefighters who were waiting to be picked up helped rescue the four injured people after the helicopter crashed around 7:30 p.m. and caught fire, Jennifer Rabuck, spokeswoman for the U.S. Forest Service said. About three dozen firefighters had to spend the night on the mountain because it became too dark for other helicopters to land, she said.

Recovery efforts were complicated by the crash site's remote location, and the wreckage is still burning, Rabuck said.

"It's difficult to access," she said. "It's very remote, very steep and heavily forested."

Two of the injured were flown in critical condition to the University of California, Davis Medical Center in Sacramento, Forest Service spokesman Mike Odle said Wednesday. The other two were taken to Mercy Medical Center in Redding in serious condition, he said.

Link: Carson Helicopters

All 12 of the company's helicopters are being used for firefighting in Oregon and California, said Bob Madden, Carson's director of corporate affairs.

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Madden said the helicopter's two co-pilots were Carson employees -- one was hospitalized and the other was among the missing. The company would not release their names until officials confirmed their identities and notified family members.

Madden said the helicopter's two co-pilots were Carson employees -- one was hospitalized and the other was among the missing. The company would not release their names until officials confirmed their identities and notified family members.

"We are praying for the swift recovery of all the victims, and our hearts go out to their loved ones," Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said Wednesday.

Another firefighter assigned to battle the same series of wildfires died late last month when he was hit by a falling tree.

More: History of Ore. firefighter fatal crashes