COOMA, AUSTRALIA – JANUARY 23: People are seen embracing at Numeralla Rural Fire Brigade near the scene of a water tanker plane crash on January 23, 2020 in Cooma, Australia. Three American firefighters have have died after their C-130 water tanker plane crashed while battling a bushfire near Cooma in southern NSW this afternoon. The repurposed C-130 Hercules, built in America by Lockheed Martin, took off from Richmond RAAF base at 1pm, and disappeared from the flight radar just after 2pm. Coulson Aviation, the Canadian operator of the C-130 aircraft, has now grounded their fleet as a mark of respect for the victims and to re-assess safety conditions. Hot and windy conditions have seen a number of fires flare up across southern NSW this afternoon, with firefighters battling numerous blazes in temperatures over 40 degrees Celsius in some parts. (Photo by Jenny Evans/Getty Images)
On Thursday in Australia, three American firefighters were killed after a Canadian-owned air tanker crashed while battling wildfires in the southeastern portion of the country. The Wall Street Journal reports that there was a large fireball when the Coulson Aviation plane hit the ground some 200 miles southwest of Sydney in the state of New South Wales, and that there were no survivors.
“They were helping Australia, far from their own homes, an embodiment of the deep friendship between our two countries,” said Australia’s foreign minister, Marise Payne, while offering condolences to the firefighters’ families. It’s not yet known what caused the crash.