Summary
- The three US firefighters who died in the crash of their C-130 waterbombing aircraft in the Snowy Mountains yesterday were named as Captain Ian McBeth, First Officer Paul Hudson and Flight Engineer Rick DeMorgan Jr.
- Investigations are continuing into the cause of the crash. Authorities said today of the plane that there was “not much intact at all.”
- All C-130 firefighting aircraft in Australia have been grounded until further notice.
- Six volunteer firefighters were taken to hospital last night after their fire truck rolled in the NSW Southern Tablelands yesterday.
- Forty-four firefighters from the US landed in Melbourne this morning and will be deployed to East Gippsland
Updated
Sorry to share more bad news with you, but my colleague Adam Morton has filed this incredibly depressing story, which begins:
The superb lyrebird, famous for its ability to mimic almost any sound, may have plunged from being a common to a threatened species after its three varieties lost between a third and more than half of their known habitat in the bushfire crisis.
Read Adam’s story below.
Beautiful Kosciszcuko National Park burnt black.
— Kate Washington MP (@KateRWashington) January 24, 2020
Numerous threatened native species struggling for survival - now sharing remaining habitat with 25,000 feral horses.
Berejiklian Barilaro gov must urgently act to save species from extinction.
This 👇🏼 is an ecological emergency. pic.twitter.com/TDw6APGOXe
Representatives from the company Coulson and next of kin of the victims are travelling to Australia, Hood says.
They are “not looking for blame or prosecution”, he says. He is being asked about the sequence of events when the plane went down, but says it is too early to say.
“I know it’s very frustrating and people want immediate answers but, you know, we are in the forensic phase of the examination and gathering all the evidence and we hope that some of the witness statements will actually be able to shed light on this sequence of events following the dropping of the retardant.”
Asked what state the plane is in, Condon says “not much is intact at all”.
Updated
Hood says it is understood there were several witnesses to the accident.
“We will also be making an assessment about the various components we need to take to technical facilities,” he says.
“We understand the aircraft is equipped with a cockpit voice recorder and these mostly recall the last two hours of what happened on the flight deck, so we are most interested and looking for that piece of equipment early in the investigations.”
Updated
Hood says authorities are still working to retrieve the bodies from the wreckage.
“At the moment, the NSW police force and the disaster victims identification team are working in the aircraft wreckage to remove those deceased in the accident, and then there will be a formal process for the site to be handed over to the ATSB,” he says.
“Once it has been handed over to us, excepting the fact that the NSW police force have done an outstanding job already and are examining hazards, we have specific knowledge of the airframe and will be looking to secure any hazards in relation to aviation fuel, the magnesium wheels and any of the unexploded pressurised canisters, such as oxygen, and generally making sure the site is safe to work on.”
Updated
Paul Condon, of NSW police, says police attended the scene yesterday to make the area safe. They are preparing a report for the coroner.
Updated
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau and NSW police are addressing the media about yesterday’s tragic crash.
Greg Hood, of the ATSB, says the air tanker departed the RAAF base at Richmond about midday.
“Our early understanding at this stage is that the aircraft arrived at 13.15 on-site and proceeded to drop a fire retardant across the ridge,” he says.
“Not long after the aircraft had discharged the retardant, the aircraft impacted terrain, killing the three onboard.”
Updated
Thank you to these brave Americans who died keeping Australians safe. Our love and condolences are with their families and with families of all those killed in these terrible fires. The courageous service of the firefighters is a shining inspiration of love and selflessness. https://t.co/rThhQzQold
— Malcolm Turnbull (@TurnbullMalcolm) January 24, 2020
From the Associated Press.
The Cincinnati Zoo is using the third birthday of its beloved hippo, born premature, as a way to raise money for Australian wildlife affected by the recent bushfires.
Instead of sending birthday gifts for Fiona, the Ohio zoo is asking people to buy T-shirts that will directly benefit the Bushfire Emergency Wildlife Fund. The shirt features a koala and kangaroo giving Fiona a hug and says Supporting Our Friends Down Under.
All proceeds from sales of the shirts will be sent to Zoos Victoria to help them care for suffering animals. The zoo will add $5,000 to the total amount raised.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY! 🎊 Cincinnati's 1,200-pound toddler turns 3!
— WLWT (@WLWT) January 23, 2020
Fiona the hippo celebrated her birthday on Thursday afternoon, munching on a specially made birthday cake at the @CincinnatiZoo. https://t.co/dAy70SScbj pic.twitter.com/bqAPP6jV47
Heatwave building in Western Australia and forecast models all suggest it will spread across the South East and eastern mainland and parts of Tasmania from mid next week. Parts of NSW will stay hot leading into it. pic.twitter.com/9l9Dwq3zuy
— Graham Creed (@WeathermanABC) January 24, 2020
Here is a statement from the office of Gavin Newsom, the governor of California.
We are heartbroken to learn of the air tanker crash in Australia that claimed the lives of 3 heroic American firefighters.
— Office of the Governor of California (@CAgovernor) January 23, 2020
We extend our sincere condolences to the friends and families of the crew, and our own @CAL_FIRE family who worked and trained with the crew of Tanker 134. https://t.co/SWaOqSpAtv
Updated
The federal government services minister, Stuart Robert, says the government has now paid out $68m under the Australian government disaster recovery payment and disaster recovery allowance.
Robert said 57,000 claims had been processed since September and more than $10.9m in additional payments had been paid to eligible families affected by the bushfires.
More than 27,000 extra payments for affected families with children – which the government has increased from $400 to $800 – have now been issued.
“Bushfire-affected families will have seen the additional payment hit their bank account this week, with retrospective payments for families that received [recovery payments] prior to 20 January 2020 already processed and paid into bank accounts automatically,” Robert said in a statement.
Services Australia, formerly the Department of Human Services, had deployed 272 mobile service teams and mobile service centres to bushfire-affected areas in NSW, Victoria and South Australia.
Updated
AAP filed this interesting story from Tasmania.
The newly appointed Tasmanian premier, Peter Gutwein, will become the state’s first Liberal minister for climate change.
Gutwein, who this week ascended to the top job after Will Hodgman resigned, announced on Friday he would create and take on the portfolio.
“We need to accept that the weather patterns we are seeing are less predictable, more volatile,” he said. “It important as a state that we continue with our very strong work.”
Powered predominantly by pumped hydro and wind turbines, Tasmania is aiming be self-sufficient in renewable-energy by 2022.
“In terms of the nation looking at Tasmania, I hope that they do acknowledge we are world-leading in terms of emissions,” Gutwein said. “I think we do have a leadership role to play in terms of our position on this matter.”
Gutwein flagged climate change action as a “key priority” of his government and said he would closely examine fuel reduction and mechanical clearing practises as part of the portfolio.
Tasmania previously had a minister for climate change under the Labor-Greens minority government, prior to the Liberals’ election in 2014.
Updated
Kangaroo Island Wildlife Park in Pandana has been running at an incredibly high tempo with support from veterinary staff, volunteers & @DeptDefence personnel helping out providing veterinary care, assisting with feeding & establishing native habitat and shelters #OpBushfireAssist pic.twitter.com/VYY5nTIfOR
— Darren Chester MP (@DarrenChesterMP) January 24, 2020
Schools have been given resources to support students, teachers and families who may be “experiencing distress” as a result of fires burning in their local area.
The Australian Institute for Disaster Resilience and Emerging Minds: National Workforce Centre for Child Mental Health are providing support to teachers ahead of the beginning of the new school year next week.
Advice includes focusing on establishing and maintaining normal classroom routines and providing “structured opportunities” to talk about the fires. Teachers are also warned to “anticipate situations which may trigger distress, such as hot and windy weather, fog or smoke”.
The Victorian government announced $13.45m in funding to support bushfire-affected schools.
Updated
Thank you to the 41 firefighters from across the US who have arrived today to assist in managing Victoria’s ongoing and significant fire threat. Following briefing and training sessions, they will join local crews fighting fires in East Gippsland. pic.twitter.com/GZgT0zFe5C
— VicEmergency (@vicemergency) January 24, 2020
More than 6,400 livestock killed in Victorian bushfires
Agriculture Victoria’s count of the number of animals killed in the Victorian fires has reached 6,422, the Weekly Times reports. Most of the losses were in the north-east, mainly in the upper Murray, where 5,440 animals – including 3,292 beef cattle and 1,735 sheep – were killed.
East Gippsland lost 928 livestock, including 311 beef cattle and 515 sheep.
Other losses include 116 dairy cows, 154 goats and 127 beehives.
The north-east also lost 926ha of crops, 33,781ha of pasture and 19,539 tonnes of hay and silage. East Gippsland lost 14,831ha of pasture and 1,911 tonnes of hay and silage.
Updated
This is Luke Henriques-Gomes, taking over from Calla Walhquist. Thanks for all your work, Calla.
Smoke from the Australian bushfires is making its way around the 🌎, interacting with global weather & distributing aerosols—UV-absorbing particles in the air—along the way.
— NASA (@NASA) January 23, 2020
Aerosols by color:
orange: dust
blue: sea salt
pink: nitrates
red: carbonaceoushttps://t.co/P9ngxwXU7k pic.twitter.com/hye2vo2KcB
What seems like the entire population of the south coast town of Cobargo showed up to farewell Robert and Patrick Salway, the father and son who died protecting their property from fire on New Year’s Eve.
The Cobargo cemetery was covered in a fresh layer of smoke after fires again loomed on the edge of this already devastated town yesterday, and the funeral was delayed to allow people stuck at road blocks time to arrive.
But most of the town seemed to be here. The road into town was lined with traffic and hundreds of mourners packed into the small cemetery to farewell the two men.
Patrick Salway’s wife Renee read out her wedding vows at the funeral and said her husband had “filled our life with adventure, true love, happiness and so so many memories”.
“Today you take with you my heart and my soul,” she said. “I truly never learned what the words ‘I miss you’ meant until I reached for your hand and it was not there. We will always be the best of friends and you will always be my beautiful husband.”
Both men were remembered as true farm boys with an insatiable work ethic and strong dedication to their families and community.
Robert Salway would have celebrated 50 years as a member of the Cobargo show society this year.
Tony Allen, a former Nationals candidate and a close friend of the Salway family, described him as a “natural cattleman” with a “firm handshake, a ready smile and, in the Australian vernacular, will always be remembered as our mate”.
Updated
Coulson Aviation has released a statement about the three US aerial firefighters killed in the Snowy Mountains crash.
Captain Ian McBeth, 45, from Great Falls in Montana, was a “highly qualified and respected C-130 pilot with many years fighting fire, both in the military and with Coulson Aviation”, the company said in a statement.
He served with the Wyoming Air National Guard and was a member of the Montana Air National Guard. He was a qualified instructor and evaluator pilot and spent his entire career flying C-130s.
McBeth is survived by his wife Bowdie, three children Abigail, Calvin and Ella, parents William and Anneliese and three siblings.
First Officer Paul Clyde Hudson, 43, from Buckeye, Arizona, served in the US Marine Corps for 20 years, including as a C-130 pilot. He reached the rank of Lieutenant Colonel before retiring and working for Coulson Aviation.
Hudson is survived by his wife Noreen.
Flight Engineer Rick A DeMorgan Jr, 44, from Navarre, Florida, served as a flight engineer on the C-130 in the US Air Force for 18 years. He had more than 4,000 hours as a flight engineer, including 2,000 in a combat environment.
DeMorgan is survived by his children Lucas and Logan, parents Rick Sr and Linda, and his sister Virginia.
Updated
Names of US firefighters released
The three US firefighters who died in the crash of their C-130 waterbombing aircraft in the Snowy Mountains yesterday have been identified as Captain Ian McBeth, First Officer Paul Hudson and Flight Engineer Rick DeMorgan Jr.
These are the three brave crew members killed when their Coulson Aviation C130 crashed fighting fires in Australia: Captain Ian H. McBeth, First Officer Paul Clyde Hudson and Flight Engineer Rick A. DeMorgan Jr. May they rest in peace @10NewsFirst @10Daily pic.twitter.com/uhkw4E8Mbl
— Daniel Sutton (@danielsutton10) January 24, 2020
Updated
International support for the Australian bushfires is not limited to firefighters. Soldiers from Fiji are in East Gippsland and preparing to help the Australian Defence Force support bushfire-affected communities around Orbost.
Very privileged to witness this traditional ceremony before our Fijian soldiers head out to the fireground around Orbost. Thank you for supporting Victoria and our communities. Take care pic.twitter.com/k9I5wgvfjA
— Andrew Crisp APM (@CommissionerEMV) January 24, 2020
41 new US firefighters arrive in Melbourne
More firefighters from the United States landed in Melbourne this morning. They will be deployed to East Gippsland.
Emergency Management Victoria deputy commissioner Chris Stephenson spoke to reporters at the airport. He said it was “extremely difficult” for those firefighters to learn as they got off the plane of the death of three of their colleagues.
We have briefed the crews that have come in and Victoria passes on its condolences to the families who have had such a tragic loss.
Stephenson said fire services in Australia had supports in place to help those affected by the loss, saying “we don’t expect anyone to go out on the fire that is struggling”.
We have had a number of deaths in Victoria this year but New South Wales has had absolute tragedy. Our teams work with these crews.
The aircrews work all around the world but they also work in Victoria, New South Wales, all across the country. We know these people and it is tough for our people. Their resilience is amazing. They get on, care about the community and they just want to do a fantastic job.
We are so grateful for that. Our firefighters are fantastic, whether they are volunteers or paid firefighters. All the support services we have —I couldn’t be prouder of them.
There are currently 243 firefighters from the US fighting fires in Victoria, NSW and South Australia.
The firefighting teams that flew in this morning will do a 28-day rotation (one shift, a break, then another shift) before returning home.
After some training these firefighters from the US will hit the fireground in Gippsland. @7NewsMelbourne pic.twitter.com/YlrrJyPS2F
— Ashlea Kunowski (@AKunowski) January 24, 2020
Brook Chadwick, from the United States Fire Service, said the thoughts and prayers of the 41 US firefighters who arrived in Melbourne this morning were with the families of the firefighters who died yesterday.
He said:
Firefighting is an international business, as you’re aware, and it is a small community. It definitely impacts every one of us regardless of what country you were born in or where they fight fire or where they live.
Every one of us feels the sadness from yesterday. I wanted to share our condolences and hopefully those families will find solace in the fact we are all here behind them and continuing the work.
Chadwick said the firefighters were “quite tired” after their international flight and would rest today before heading to the fire ground tomorrow. They will work a 28 day rotation, split into two shifts with a rest in between, before returning home.
Updated
Good to be out in the field and thank all our people who are working hard to keep the community safe. It’s been great to hear about where everyone has come from and how they are supporting the effort. Thank you for answering the call. Take care pic.twitter.com/XVSbk4RIoB
— Andrew Crisp APM (@CommissionerEMV) January 23, 2020
Tourism campaign for Victoria’s fire-affected regions
The Victorian government is trying to encourage tourists to return to fire-affected areas in East Gippsland and the alpine region with a new campaign through Visit Victoria.
The slogan for the campaign is “a short visit goes a long way”.
The Princes Highway remains closed east of Orbost due to the bushfires, although some stretches are open to residents.
But tourism minister Martin Pakula, who visited the Gippsland Lakes region yesterday, said towns such as Lakes Entrance, Metung and Paynesville, as well as high country areas like Bright, Beechworth, Rutherglen and Mansfield, were open for visitors.
The most practical thing that ordinary Victorians can do right now to help these regions is to travel there and spend money there.
It will not only create amazing memories for families and kids, it will also provide vital support to our bushfire-affected communities as they recover and rebuild.
Pakula said the Andrews government would give Destination Gippsland and Tourism North East $200,000 each to pay a staff member to work directly with fire-affected tourism operators and develop campaigns to encourage visitors to return.
Cricket Australia and the Victorian Trades Hall Council are also going to hold away days in fire-affected areas, and 115 other businesses and government agencies have pledged to do the same. More on that pledge here.
Updated
Unions NSW has again reminded workers in NSW that it is illegal to be forced to work when the air quality is at hazardous levels.
Here’s the statement from Unions NSW secretary, Mark Morey:
When the air quality is hazardous it is not safe to work outdoors for extended periods. You have a right to stop work if it is unsafe. It is illegal for your employer to force you to work in hazardous air.
The air quality crisis has been ongoing since mid-November. This means workers, particularly those who work outside, have had ongoing exposure, which could have an impact on their health.
Those with existing conditions such as asthma, emphysema and heart problems are particularly vulnerable.
Morey says the NSW government should lead the way for other businesses by restricting outdoor work by its employees to essential services and emergency work.
It has also called for workplace health and safety standards to be updated “to reflect our changing climate.”
New regulations informed by the advice of occupational health and safety authorities, lung health experts, business, and union representatives are needed urgently.
Photographer Mike Bowers was at the Potato Point fire on the NSW south coast yesterday. He spotted this fire truck from the Horsley Park volunteer RFS brigade, painted in memory of their fellow volunteer Geoffrey Keaton, who died fighting fires south-west of Sydney in December.
The Horsley Park RFS crew were helping to defend homes at Potato Point.
Updated
The fire that flared near Canberra airport yesterday and threatened homes near the Molongo River is currently burning at an advice level.
The 379ha fire is behind containment lines, but smoke from the fire — particularly from a recycling centre on Underwood Street, Beard, which caught alight yesterday and began emitting dangerous smoke — remains a hazard.
Oaks Estate Road remains closed between Pialligo Avenue and Railway Street.
Updated
C-130 firefighting aircraft temporarily grounded in Australia following fatal crash
All C-130 firefighting aircraft in Australia have been grounded until further notice, the National Council for Fire and Emergency Services (Afac) and national aerial fire fighting centre (Nfac) have said.
The planes were grounded following the crash of the Lockheed C-130Q Hercules air tanker in the Snowy Mountains yesterday afternoon. The cause of that crash is not yet known.
The aerial tanker was one of 160 aircraft operating as part of the aerial bushfire fleet in Australia this bushfire season.
RFS commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons told the ABC this morning that C-130 planes are particularly useful on firegrounds because they can carry 15,000L of water, usually mixed with fire retardant. That’s why photos of the C-130 planes in action often show them dumping a bright red spray.
That’s close to five times the capacity of the RFS’s normal fixed-wing water-bombers.
He continued:
They can be anywhere in New South Wales within an hour and seamlessly integrate into local firefighting operations given the progression and advancement of aviation management in support of crews on the ground.
It is a capability that we have become very accustomed to over recent years and it has provided valuable support to firefighters on the ground but also the people, the families, the communities that we are all trying to save and protect.
Whether it is building retardant lines to limit the spread of fire or having a tremendous knock-down affect on fire spread and flanks of fires, they have been there and in among it right throughout the fire seasons in the last five years.
Fitzimmons said it was “inappropriate and dangerous to speculate” on the cause of the crash, but that “field reports indicated that there was a pretty significant fireball associated with the plane crash.”
In a statement issued late yesterday, Afac CEO Stuart Ellis said they were “deeply saddened and shocked by the news.”
Such a tragedy highlights the challenging conditions for all aerial firefighting pilots and our respect and gratitude rests with all pilots who are flying supporting ground operations across Australia
Nfac general manager Richard Alder said Coulson Aviation was a “very well-respected aviation company. Our thoughts are with the families of the crew, Coulson Aviation and all our aerial firefighting colleagues during this difficult time.”
Updated
Australian and US firefighters working on the East Gippsland fires held a minute’s silence for the three aerial firefighters killed yesterday.
The deaths of three US firefighters is being felt deeply, hundreds of kilometres away in East Gippsland.
— Kristian Silva (@kristian_silva) January 23, 2020
Local emergency services and members of the US Forest Service gathered for a minute's silence in Orbost this morning. @abcmelbourne @abcnews @ABCemergency pic.twitter.com/JE6NgKdEJr
'Unlikely' gold miner trapped in Tasmania has survived
Moving away from the bushfires briefly to the west coast of Tasmania, where police have said this morning that it is “highly unlikely” that a worker trapped in a collapse at Henty Gold Mine has survived.
Tasmania police issued this statement this morning:
Overnight the search utilised an additional drone with more sensitive three-dimensional laser technology as part of the operation to locate the missing mine worker.
The amount of earth and rock and the situation that presents tells us that it is highly unlikely he could have survived.
This is very sad for all his family and loved ones and the West Coast community and our thoughts are with them.
We will continue to work with the mine on the recovery operation which is likely to take some time but it’s not possible to say how long.
The man lived in the area and had been working at the mine for about two years, according to reports.
His shift began at 7pm on Wednesday and was due to finish at 7am yesterday. Colleagues went looking for him when they lost contact early Thursday morning and found that a section of mine he had been working in, which was a 20-minute descent underground, had collapsed.
Updated
The funeral of father and son Robert and Patrick Salway, who died trying to protect their farm in the south coast town of Cobargo, is being held today but because of damage from yesterday’s fires a lot of mourners can’t get through.
I’m at a road block on the Princes Highway bear Tuross Head – about 70km north of Cobargo – where there’s a long queue of mourners who are desperately trying to find out when the road will reopen. Family members are being let through.
The funeral is being held at the cemetery and people in the town were expecting hundreds – not thousands – from the surrounding districts to attend.
Updated
Extreme fire conditions are forecast for the Gascoyne Coast in Western Australia today. That’s a thin strip of land starting just north Kalbarri and running up to the Exmouth Gulf.
The central coast, around Geraldton, has severe fire danger, and the fire danger of the surrounding area is very high.
Severe storms, particularly on the Central Coast and parts of Sydney, have cut power to around 8,000 customers this morning
— Ausgrid (@Ausgrid) January 23, 2020
The Weather Bureau is warning of more dangerous storm activity
Stay at least 8m away from fallen lines.
In case of power emergency call Ausgrid: 131388 pic.twitter.com/I8ZnUYfqRB
Smoke, dust, and muddy rain in Sydney
The air quality in Sydney and parts of New South Wales is hazardous today.
It is being caused by a mixture of dust and smoke – more dust than smoke, according to the Air Quality Index.
It appears to be similar to the dust whipped up in dust storms in western Victoria and NSW, which saw it rain mud in Melbourne yesterday. There are already reports of muddy rain in Sydney.
Good rain for Melbourne has also brought down the red mud evidence of northern #duststorms pic.twitter.com/y40o9MpQYm
— Anthony Edge (@mraedge) January 22, 2020
My car this morning! Dust, smoke and rain 🌧 Everyday there is something.
— Dr. Vanessa Pirotta (@VanessaPirotta) January 23, 2020
Thankfully, this is only minor. I know of a few people who need new cars after the #hail in #Canberra earlier this week 😮 #smoke #bushfirecrisis #AirQuality #australia #sydneyweather #sydney pic.twitter.com/sbBF38iaTj
PM10 particle levels are at hazardous levels across most of Sydney and parts of the Illawarra, Central Tablelands and Southern Tablelands – they are the larger particles, like dust.
A photo my brother took as his plane prepared to land in Sydney today. Check out the smoke pic.twitter.com/ygsaJUGN0L
— David Mack (@davidmackau) January 23, 2020
PM2.5 levels, which measures bushfire smoke, are hazardous in parts of the Illawarra, very poor in southwest Sydney, the Illawarra, and Chullora, and merely poor elsewhere.
Mother Nature is developing a serious smoker’s cough. This is my view of #Sydney harbour today. If #ScoMo doesn’t give up his coal addiction & cut emissions - this cough will be terminal. #ClimateEmergency pic.twitter.com/bMNjcGZCJD
— Kathy Lette (@KathyLette) January 23, 2020
Updated
RFS commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons addressed a US firefighting contingent in Sydney a few minutes ago. This particular group is about to head home.
Fitzsimmons said they had his “heartfelt appreciation”. The group were originally destined for Queensland but redirected to NSW when the fire threat up north eased.
He said they bought skills and experience to NSW, provided a reprieve for local crews, and bolstered the number of people in incident management teams and specialist areas.
Said Fitzsimmons:
Looking at the faces around the room, I know that in my various travels to different incident management teams in different locations with the minister, with [fire and rescue NSW commissioner Paul Baxter], and with the premier, I’ve seen a number of you in the IMTs, and you’ve been wonderfully integrated, seamlessly integrated into operations, and have made a discernible difference in the firefighting effort that we have been enduring this year.
Updated
NSW Police issued a statement this morning on the fatal air tanker crash in the Snowy Mountains. Police are working with investigators from the Air Transport Safety Bureau.
The names of the three men killed, all experienced US aerial firefighters in their 40s, who worked for US aerial firefighting company Coulson Aviation, have not yet been released.
This is what police said:
About 1.15pm (Thursday 23 January 2020), emergency services were called to Peak View, about 50km north-east of Cooma, after contact was lost with an aircraft conducting fire-control operations in the area.
A short time later the wreckage of a Large Air Tanker aircraft was located on private property on Peak View Road.
Officers from Monaro Police District worked with Fire and Rescue NSW, NSW Rural Fire Service and Australian Defence Force personnel at the crash site.
Three men, aged 42, 43 and 45, are believed to have been on board at the time of the crash; however, they are yet to be formally identified.
Police are liaising with US authorities to ensure all next of kin have been notified of the men’s deaths.
Detectives from the NSW Police Force will be assisting ATSB investigators, who are expected to take over control of the site once it has been deemed safe by Fire and Rescue NSW’s HAZMAT.
They will conduct investigations into the circumstances surrounding the crash, while police will prepare a report the Coroner.
The crash brings the number of firefighting personnel, including contractors and volunteers, killed so far this fire season to 11.
Some more details on that tanker rollover in the Southern Tablelands. The ABC reports that the water tanker rolled near the Clyde Mountain fire at Eurobodalla near Batemans Bay.
The ABC said the six volunteer firefighters were taken to hospital with “serious injuries”.
Updated
Six firefighters injured in tanker rollover – report
The ABC is reporting that six firefighters were taken to hospital last night after their firetruck rolled while they were working on the Clyde Mountain bushfire in the NSW Southern Tablelands yesterday.
.@JohnBarilaroMP said 6 firefighters have been taken to hospital after their tanker rolled whilst assisting with the #ClydeMountain bushfire yesterday. "It's tough conditions and our volunteers are going beyond the norm to try to protect community."#NSWfires @ABCemergency
— Adriane Reardon (@adrianereardon) January 23, 2020
Updated
Crews from the US and Canada, who are wrapping up their deployment to the #nswfires, have held a minutes silence as a mark of respect for the three American crew members killed in yesterday’s Large Air Tanker crash. We thank these crews for their support. #nswrfs pic.twitter.com/UNCt9APUMA
— NSW RFS (@NSWRFS) January 23, 2020
‘Giant hailstones’ warning for Sydney
The Bureau of Meteorology has issued a severe thunderstorm warning for Sydney, parts of the Hunter, and parts of the Central Tablelands, which could experience “large, possibly giant hailstones, heavy rainfall and damaging winds”.
⚡⚡ A very Dangerous Thunderstorm is moving towards parts of the #BlueMountains #Hawkesbury #Gosford #Wyong & #Sydney. Severe #Thunderstorm Warning for GIANT HAILSTONES, HEAVY RAINFALL & DAMAGING WINDS. For latest warnings visit: https://t.co/bKgH3U9x5k #NSWSES #NSWRFS pic.twitter.com/J7dosXmGzv
— Bureau of Meteorology, New South Wales (@BOM_NSW) January 23, 2020
That sounds worryingly similar to the warning issued for Canberra this week, before this happened:
The State Emergency Service has recommended people in those areas move their car under cover or away from trees, secure loose items in their house and yard, bring their pets inside, unplug computers and other electronic devices, and stay away from windows.
Updated
Let’s take a look at the national bushfire picture this morning.
There are currently no fires burning at emergency warning or watch and act level in New South Wales. As of midnight, there were 73 bush and grass fires burning around the state, 30 of which were not yet contained.
Fire danger ratings have eased across the state and are either low to moderate or high — that’s the bottom two ratings on the fire danger index, so that’s a good thing. That cool change has brought smoke back in to Sydney — more on that soon.
Fire danger ratings have eased today, with widespread low-moderate and high fire danger following a southerly change that brought light rain and cooler conditions to fire grounds across the south coast. This change has also seen smoke haze return to Sydney and surrounds. #nswrfs pic.twitter.com/jyzTZywBLn
— NSW RFS (@NSWRFS) January 23, 2020
In Victoria, a watch and act alert remains in place for the fire burning out of control near Buldah in East Gippsland, near the NSW border. However the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (Delwp) says milder conditions have slowed the spread of the fire, which is travelling in a southerly direction towards Buldah, a locality so small that I can’t find a population estimate.
All other fires in Victoria are burning at advice level, as is the contained bushfire on South Australia’s Kangaroo Island.
Fire danger ratings in both South Australia and Victoria are also in the low to moderate and high range today.
Updated
RFS pays tribute to ‘remarkable’ US aerial firefighters
The New South Wales rural fire service is still assessing the full extent of the damage from the bushfires that flared along the south coast and the Snowy Mountains yesterday, destroying houses in Moruya and surrounding communities and leading to the deaths of three US firefighters.
An investigation into the crash of the American C-130 waterbombing plane, which crashed in the Snowy Mountains yesterday killing all three people on board, is underway today.
RFS commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons told the ABC it would be inappropriate to speculate on the cause of the crash. He said the three men who died were “remarkable individuals”, all experienced aerial firefighters in their 40s.
They were highly experienced professional, dedicated, specially-trained operators that were dedicated to the profession of aerial firefighting and, in particular, large air tanker aerial firefighting, which as we’ve seen here in New South Wales and in Australia in recent years, has provided us with a capability and capacity that we historically have not had access to, nor the benefit of when it comes to trying to save and protect lives and people here in New South Wales and Australia.
The men worked for Coulson Aviation family, a US aerial firefighting company contracted by the Australian Fire Authorities Council to assist with the Australian summer bushfire season. The planes can dump 15,000 litres of water — more than five times more than ordinary RFS waterbombers.
Fitzsimmons again:
Three remarkable men, coming down here to Australia once again this season, helping us to save and protect people but tragically this year, they won’t be going home to the United States.
The US Ambassador to Australia, Arthur B. Culvahouse Jr., also paid tribute to the “brave Americans” who died “helping Australia in its time of need.”
Statement by Ambassador Culvahouse: pic.twitter.com/bDthW0NRSc
— US Consulate Sydney (@USConGenSydney) January 23, 2020
The loss of the aircraft could have some impact on firefighting efforts today. I’ll bring you a bit more on that, and an update on the fires currently burning in Australia, shortly.
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