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Update On Fires In Australia And The Recent Air Tanker Crash

Thursday, January 30, 2020 | Sacramento, CA
RFS via AP

In this undated photo from the Rural Fire Service, a C-130 Hercules plane drops water during a flight in Australia. Officials in Australia on Thursday, Jan. 23, 2020, searched for a water tanker plane feared to have crashed while fighting wildfires.

RFS via AP

Over the last number of weeks, several hundred U.S. firefighters have been deployed to Australia, from the U.S. Forest Service and the Department of Interior. They have been sent to assist with firefighting efforts, as large swaths of Australia continue to burn. 

The plane that crashed last week is the same air tanker that has been used by CalFIRE for training and also helped fight the recent Kincade Fire in Sonoma County, as well as other fires. 

Shawna Legarza is Director of Fire and Aviation Management for the U.S. Forest Service in Washington, DC. She was scheduled to be on Insight last Thursday. But, in the wake of this crash, had to postpone her appearance. She has recently returned from Australia and provides a first hand account of what she saw and what is known about the investigation into the air tanker crash.

Guests

  • US Forest Service Fire and Aviation Management Director Shawna Legarza 

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