INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Three US firefighters who died when their air tanker plane crashed in a "fireball" while battling bushfires in southeastern Australia have
been named.Captain Ian McBeth, 45; first officer Paul Clyde Hudson, 43, and flight engineer Rick A DeMorgan Jr, 44, were killed in New South
Wales, their employer said.The cause of the crash is not known.Image:Coulson Aviation grounded its other large air tankers immediately
File picThe crew - who had all previously worked for the US military - were killed when the C-130 Hercules they were in went down near Peak
View, in Australia's alpine region, close to a bushfire burning out of control in the Wadbilliga National Park."We honour the amazing crews
who do incredible things in dangerous circumstances supported by world-class operations," aircraft owner Coulson Aviation said in a
statement.The firm grounded its other large air tankers immediately after the crash on Thursday but said they would be returning to work "in
the very near future".Heavy rains bring relief to AustraliaNew South Wales Rural Fire Services Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said it was
too early to speculate on the cause of the crash.More from Australia Bushfires"We simply don't know the circumstances pertaining to the
accident at this stage," he said
"Appropriate, formal investigations and inquiries are underway."He said field reports showed there had been a "pretty significant fireball
associated with the plane crash".Image:A 3D visualisation of the fires in Australia
Pic: Anthony HearseyThe air tanker dropped fire retardant shortly before the fatal accident, Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) said
on Friday.ATSB chief commissioner Greg Hood also said it was too early to speculate on what caused the aircraft to come down.Air tankers
typically carry 15,000 litres of water or fire retardant to release over blazes in areas that ground crews find hard to reach.The aircraft
went into a valley to drop the retardant and did not come out.The Rural Fire Service said it lost contact with the aircraft, which took off
from Richmond RAAF base at 1pm, and disappeared from the flight radar just after 2pm, and the flight tracker stopped.Thirty two people have
been killed since the fires began, which have ravaged more than 10.4 million hectares (25.7 million acres).At least 2,600 homes have been
destroyed and an estimated one billion animals have also perished.
