3 US firefighters who died in Australia crash identified

SYDNEY, Australia - The three American firefighters who were killed when the aerial water tanker they were in crashed while battling wildfires in Australia have been identified by their employer.

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Canada-based Coulson Aviation says the men who died Thursday in the crash of the C-130 Hercules were:

• Capt. Ian H. McBeth, 44, of Great Falls, Montana; 

Ian McBeth (Coulson Aviation USA)

• First Officer Paul Clyde Hudson, 42, of Buckeye, Arizona;

Paul Hudson (Coulson Aviation USA)

• Flight Engineer Rick A. DeMorgan Jr., 43, of Navarre, Florida.

Rick DeMorgan (Coulson Aviation USA)

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