‘HEAVY LANDING’

Water-Bombing Helicopter Crashes Near Brisbane as Fires Spread Across Australia

The pilot is in stable condition and is being treated for minor injuries.

A water-bombing helicopter crashed while battling wildfires outside Brisbane, Australia, authorities said. A Queensland Fire and Emergency Services spokesperson said the helicopter went down while carrying out operations near the Pechey fire in Queensland’s Darling Downs. The Queensland Ambulance Service called it a “heavy landing,” and said the pilot is being treated for minor injuries. Multiple cities and towns in Queensland are under “leave now” or “leave immediately” warnings, the highest level of warning, as about 80 fires spread throughout the state. As conditions worsened in Queensland, the catastrophic conditions in New South Wales lessened overnight Wednesday. However, New South Wales Rural Fire Service Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons told reporters in Sydney that he does not expect for the fires to be contained for “many, many weeks.” “Unfortunately, what we need is rain... and there is certainly nothing in the forecast for the foreseeable future that’s going to make any discernible difference to the conditions,” Fitzsimmons said.