Canberra – Two Australian firefighters were killed while battling to contain an out-of-control bushfire that ripped through their towns some 90 kilometres south-west of Sydney.
The volunteers were in a fire truck travelling in a convoy near the town of Buxton on Thursday night when the vehicle hit a tree and rolled off the road, the New South Wales (NSW) Rural Fire Service (RFS) said.
“This is an absolutely devastating event in what has already been an incredibly difficult day and fire season,” the RFS said on Friday.
According to NSW Police, the driver and front passenger died at the scene, while three other firefighters were injured in the accident.
The accident comes just hours after a week-long state of emergency was imposed in NSW. More than 1,700 firefighters were battling 100 bushfires across the state amid record-breaking temperatures.
