Aus wildfire sparked by military exercise, pilot killed

Melbourne: A water bombing aircraft involved in wildfire-fighting operations crashed on Wednesday in Australia, killing the pilot, even as the military apologised for the huge blaze caused by its explosives exercise that has left hundreds homeless.
The New South Wales authorities have issued two new bushfire warnings in the region after the 43-year-old pilot was killed when his waterbomber, thought to be a Dromader, went down west of Ulladulla.
The plane was involved in fire-fighting operations, and it was said that a wing snapped off the aircraft before the crash.
The Rural Fire Services (RFS) issued two emergency warnings for fires at Blue Mountains and at Mount Victoria. Firefighters have been battling wildfires for eight days across the state that has destroyed over 200 homes.
Meanwhile, Defence department has come under scrutiny following a probe by RFS which has claimed that live ordnance training last week at Marangaroo caused the State Mine Fire near Lithgow that led to huge blaze running almost 50,000 hectares and destroying at least three homes.
At least two other fires in Queensland and South Australia have been linked to live fire Defence training exercises in the last three months, according to an ABC report. Acting Chief of the Defence Force, Air Marshall Mark Binskin, has apologised over the fire near Lithgow.
The department also has set up an inquiry into the State Mine blaze but it is yet to admit the findings of RFS. “There is no conspiracy here, there is no-one shirking responsibility or ownership that I can see anywhere,” RFS Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said.
Apologising over the blaze in NSW Blue Mountains, the acting chief of defence force Air Marshal Mark Binskin said it was too early to say if the department would compensate for homes and property destroyed.
Binskin on Thursday confirmed that there was an explosives exercise on a training range which was the cause of the State Mine fire that destroyed over 47,000 hectares of bush. (PTI)