David Gray Reuters
MELBOURNE, Australia — Three Americans died Thursday when their aerial water tanker crashed while battling bush fires in the mountainous terrain of the Australian state of New South Wales.
The Rural Fire Service confirmed a C-130 Hercules crashed while fighting fires in hazardous conditions near Cooma, in the northeast of the Snowy Mountains.
“All three occupants on board were U.S. residents,” said Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons in a news conference. “We simply lost contact with the machine and the flight tracker we used stopped — there is no indication at this stage what caused the accident.”
“There was a large fireball associated with the crash,” he said, adding that it was still an active fire scene and it took “quite some time” to locate the wreckage.
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He said the plane was operated by Coulson Aviation which is based in Canada and contracted by the fire service. The C-130 could carry up to 15,000 liters of water.
Coulson grounded its fleet on Thursday as a mark of respect for the victims and to reassess safety conditions.
Fitzsimmons said the grounding of the large air tankers will impact firefighting capabilities on the ground in New South Wales, where there are still 70 fires burning, 44 of them out of control and three of them at an emergency warning level. Bush fires have also closed the airport in Australia’s capital, Canberra.
The fires have been burning across Australia since September last year, in what is being called an “unprecedented” season. Dangerous and widespread fires have engulfed millions of acres and displaced many communities. Several Australian firefighters have been killed on the job and millions of wildlife are feared dead.
Some 150 American firefighters and ground staff have been helping out with the bush fires in New South Wales and Victoria.
Crew from United States were helping out on the front line fighting fires, while also helping in operation command centers to oversee the response on the ground.
Last year Australia also requested assistance from U.S. aviation specialists to observe fires from helicopters and planes, and to help decide where to send firefighters on the ground and where to drop retardant or water bombs.
“Our thoughts are not just with family and loved ones but for anyone who feels impacted by what has unfolded this afternoon. We can’t thank enough people who continue, notwithstanding the conditions, to put their safety at risk to protect lives and property of others,” said Fitzsimmons.
Coulson Aviation has provided water-bombing aircraft to New South Wales for nearly five years.
The company said it was sending a team to the crash site to assist with emergency operations and are expected to arrive in the next 24 hours.
“The aircraft had departed Richmond, NSW with a load of retardant and was on a firebombing mission,” the statement said. “The accident is reported to be extensive and we are deeply saddened to confirm there are three fatalities.”
Prime Minister Scott Morrison tweeted his condolences to the “loved ones, friends and colleagues of those who have lost their lives. Such a terrible tragedy.”
Gladys Berejiklian, the premier of New South Wales, said there were more than 1,700 volunteers fighting fires across the state and flags will be flown at half-mast as a sign of respect.
“Today again demonstrated the fire season is far from over,” she said.
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2020-01-23 09:53:00Z
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