Three American aerial firefighters who had been contracted to assist with the raging Australian bushfires have been killed on Thursday, after their Lockheed C-130 Hercules being used in water bombing operations crashed on the Snowy Montaro area in the southern region of New South Wales.
The aircraft had been leased from Coulson Aviation, a North American firm, as part of a seasonal lease arrangement with Australian authorities. Currently there are approximately 200 American firefighters who have been deployed in Australia since December. While there is no news yet on the cause of the crash, Rural Fire Service Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said “initial reports” indicated there was a “large fireball” when the plane crashed and that an Australian Transport Safety Bureau investigation is underway. He also said the experienced and “well known” crew had been contracted to Australia to help fight the unprecedented bushfires this season.
The death of these three firefighters brings the death toll from the bushfires to 28, of which seven have been firefighters.
