Another Australian firefighter has died battling cataclysmic wildfires ravaging Australia. The death comes the same week as a group of U.S. firefighters arrived to assist local crews.
The latest firefighter fatality happened Saturday while combating bushfires in Omeo, a town in the Australian state of Victoria, Forest Fires Management Chief Fire Officer Chris Hardman announced online. Details about the incident, as well as the firefighter's identity, were not released as officials informed family members and fellow emergency personnel, Hardman's social media post added.
The State Control Centre of Victoria is investigating the incident, 9News reports. So far, bushfires have burned more than 12 million acres and killed 27 people, including four firefighters.
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At the start of the new year, the U.S. government sent around 100 firefighters to Australia, the first time such a deployment has happened since 2010. Crews from Canada also likely will be sent, too.
