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United States News Title: C-130 Firefighting Air Tankers Grounded After Fatal South Dakota Crash (CNN) -- The U.S. Air Force is grounding all firefighting-equipped C-130 planes after a fatal crash of one while it was involved in efforts to subdue a blaze in southwestern South Dakota, a military spokesman said Monday. Air Force spokesman Todd Spitler announced that C-130s with the Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System, or MAFFS, won't fly until further notice. The South Dakota crash follows another crash of a firefighing air tanker, along the Nevada-Utah border, several weeks earlier. The Air Force describes MAFFS as "a self-contained aerial firefighting system owned by the U.S. Forest Service that can discharge 3,000 gallons of water or fire retardant in less than five seconds, covering an area one-quarter of a mile long by 100-feet wide." Lt. Col. Robert Carver, a spokesman with the North Carolina National Guard -- which operated the plane that went down -- said "about three dozen" aircraft are affected by the Air Force order, out of hundreds of C-130s total in operation throughout the world. Extreme Heat and Colorado Wildfires Could climate change be wildfire cause? Wildfire victims tour devastated homes Colorado man heads home after wildfires While he did not specify the number or nature of casualties, Carver did say some North Carolina Air National Guard members died and others suffered serious injuries when their C-130 tanker crashed around 6:30 p.m. MT (8:30 p.m. ET). The crew was fighting the so-called White Draw Fire burning near Edgemont, South Dakota, at the time. Evacuee: Wildfire aftermath is 'kind of like the twilight zone' "There were lives lost, there were injuries. We're very grateful for the survivors, and our thoughts and prayers go out to the families who have lost loved ones," Carver said. President Barack Obama issued a statement Sunday saluting those killed and injured in the crash, as well as others who are helping fight blazes around the country. "The airmen who attack these fires from above repeatedly confront dangerous conditions in an effort to give firefighters on the ground a chance to contain these wildfires -- to save homes, businesses, schools, and entire communities," Obama said. "They are heroes who deserve the appreciation of a grateful nation." Those hurt are being treated in a hospital in Rapid City, South Dakota, according to Carver. The cause of the crash is under investigation, said the National Guard spokesman, who added that he didn't know when the firefighting-equipped C-130s fleet would be able to fly again. The South Dakota wildfire has scorched 4,200 acres since it began Friday, according to InciWeb, a multistate fire response website. The fire, which is being fueled by dry brush and trees, is 30% contained. No homes were threatened, InciWeb reported. The wildfire is one of many burning in western states, including Montana, Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, Nevada and Arizona. 'Great day' as evacuations lifted, fight continues vs. Colorado fire It was the second time within two months that an air tanker has crashed. An air tanker crashed in mountainous terrain in western Utah on June 3, killing two pilots, authorities said. The tanker was on its second run of the day fighting the White Rock Fire along the Nevada-Utah border. That fire, which began June 1, was 100% contained on June 9, fire officials said. It was not immediately clear Monday what type of tanker -- which was owned by Neptune Aviation Services of Missoula, Montana -- was involved in that crash, or if it had MAFFS equipment. But Carver said Monday there had been no crashes of firefighting-equipped C-130s until Sunday's in South Dakota. Three state Air National Guards divisions -- in California, Wyoming as well as North Carolina -- operate C-130s with firefighting equipment, as does an Air Force Reserve unit out of Colorado Springs, Colorado, said Carver. He called the technology the crews use, which "come out when everything else is exhausted," as a "valuable" resource. "When they put fire retardant down on the leading edge of the fire, it's very effective in keeping the fire from advancing," said the lieutenant colonel. Carver said other North Carolina National Guard troops are shaken by the deaths of their colleagues, though still committed to their missions. "You can't ask for people of higher character who go in harms way and volunteer to do so," he said.
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