Tanker Plane Fighting Australia's Bushfires Crashes, Killing Crew Of 3 Americans

https://www.npr.org/2020/01/23/798801208/tanker-plane-fighting-australias-bushfires-crashes-killing-crew-of-3

January 23, 20204:21 AM ET
Scott Neuman

Three firefighters helping fight Australia's bushfires were killed Thursday when the C-130 tanker aircraft they were operating crashed south of the capital, Canberra.

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Fitzsimmons said all three aboard the airplane were U.S. residents, but he declined to name them pending notification of the families.

The crash, which occurred near Cooma, northeast of the Snowy Mountains, comes as Australia continues fighting massive bushfires fueled by record-setting temperatures. A fire southeast of Canberra, one of several firefighters are battling, has engulfed nearly 1,000 square miles and is considered out of control.

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Since September, 32 people have been killed as a result of the bushfires, including more than a dozen firefighters.

The bushfires, which have scorched an area larger than the state of Pennsylvania, have also killed an estimated 1 billion animals and destroyed 2,500 homes.