Pilots survive Boeing 737 water bomber crash while fighting bushfire in Western Australia

A Boeing 737 fireliner has crashed during a firefighting mission in Western Australia. Two pilots escaped from the wreckage of the plane which crashed while they were water bombing a bushfire in Fitzgerald River national park. Photograph: Jetphotos

Two pilots battling a blaze on Western Australia’s southern coast have managed to free themselves after their Boeing 737 firebomber aircraft crashed.

The national large air tanker crashed at 4.15pm on Monday afternoon while responding to a bushfire in the Fitzgerald River national park, Western Australia’s Department of Fire and Emergency Services (Dfes) said.