Firefighting plane crashes in Australia, killing 3 Americans

SYDNEY: Three American crew members died Thursday when a C-130 Hercules aerial water tanker crashed while battling wildfires in southeastern Australia, officials said.

New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian confirmed the crash deaths in the state's Snowy Monaro region as Australia attempts to deal with an unprecedented fire season that has left a large swath of destruction.

Coulson Aviation in the US state of Oregon said in a statement that one of its Lockheed large air tankers was lost after it left Richmond in New South Wales with retardant for a firebombing mission. It said the accident was extensive" but had few other details.

The only thing I have from the field reports are that the plane came down, it's crashed and there was a large fireball associated with that crash, said Rural Fire Service Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons.

He said all three aboard were U.S. residents.

Unfortunately, all we've been able to do is locate the wreckage and the crash site and we have not been able to locate any survivors, he said.

The tragedy brings the death toll from the blazes to at least 31 since September.

The fires have also destroyed more than 2,600 homes and razed more than 10.4 million hectares (25.7 million acres), an area bigger than the U.S. state of Indiana.

Coulson grounded other firefighting aircraft as a precaution pending investigation, reducing planes available to firefighters in New South Wales and neighboring Victoria state.

The four-propeller Hercules drops more than 15,000 liters (4,000 gallons) of fire retardant in a single pass.

Australian Transport Safety Bureau, the national air crash investigator, and state police will investigate the crash site, which firefighters described as an active fire ground.

There is no indication at this stage of what's caused the accident, Fitzsimmons said.

Berejiklian said there were more than 1,700 volunteers and personnel in the field, and five fires were being described at an emergency warning" level t he most dangerous on a three-tier scale across the state and on the fringes of the national capital Canberra.

Also Thursday, Canberra Airport closed because of nearby wildfires, and residents south of the city were told to seek shelter.

The blaze started Wednesday but strong winds and high temperatures caused conditions in Canberra to deteriorate. A second fire near the airport that started on Thursday morning is at a watch and act level the middle of the three tiers.

Arrivals and departures are affected due to aviation firefighting operations, the airport authority said in a tweet.