Nando Times

GRENOBLE (September 6, 2000 7:27 a.m. EDT http://www.nandotimes.com) - A cargo plane with three Americans aboard crashed Wednesday while it was dumping water on a forest fire in southeastern France, killing two people, officials said.

Two surviving crew members were seriously injured when the Hercule C130 crashed into a hill near the small town of Burzet as it was releasing water over the flames. The plane was owned by a private company and rented by local authorities.

The crew consisted of three Americans and a Frenchman living in the United States. It was unclear which crew members were killed, and authorities said they would not identify them until their families had been notified.

Rescuers raced to the scene, which was difficult to reach because of the craggy terrain.

The overnight fire destroyed about 100 acres of forest but was under control by Wednesday morning. The cause of the fire was under investigation.

-- Rachel Gibson (rgibson@hotmail.com), September 06, 2000