Arizonan 1 of 3 Americans Killed Fighting Australia Wildfires

BUCKEYE, AZ — First Officer Paul Clyde Hudson, a 42-year-old firefighter from Buckeye, was among three Americans killed Thursday in the crash of an air tanker fighting the devastating wildfires in Australia.

Gov. Doug Ducey has ordered flags in the state at half mast to honor Hudson.

“Arizona is heartbroken by this news,” Ducey said in a tweet Thursday night.

“First Officer Paul Hudson was a hero who dedicated his life to service, first as a Marine, then as a firefighter. And when help was needed to fight wildfires in Australia, he didn’t hesitate.”

Hudson graduated from the Naval Academy in 1999 and spent the next 20 years serving in the Marine Corps in a number of different positions, including a C-130 aircraft pilot, according to a news release from Canada-based Coulson Aviation, which specializes in aerial firefighting.

Coulson Aviation said the other two Americans who died have been identified as Capt. Ian H. McBeth, of Great Falls, Montana, and Flight Engineer Rick DeMorgan Jr., of Navarre, Florida.

Hudson also earned both a master’s in business administration and information technology management from the Naval Postgraduate school, the release said. A decorated Marine, Hudson retired as a lieutenant colonel. He is survived by his wife, Noreen.

The C-130 Hercules was on a firebombing mission in New South Wales in southern Australia when it crashed Wednesday at around 7:30 p.m. Arizona time, according to the release.

The other two Americans who died have been identified as Capt. Ian H. McBeth, of Great Falls, Montana, and Flight Engineer Rick DeMorgan Jr., of Navarre, Florida.

Fire investigators said Friday the plane had just dropped a load of fire retardant when it went down. Authorities were working to recover the victims’ bodies, but a still-burning wildfire and potential hazards from aviation fuel hampered their efforts, The Associated Press reported.

Nearly 500 firefighting aircraft from several countries are helping fight an unprecedented wildfire that has left a wide swath of destruction in Australia’s southeast.