Three crew died in a crash of a firefighting surveillance plane near Mount Isa in northwest Queensland on Saturday. The men worked for Victorian aviation company AGAIR, which works closely with rural fire services in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria. Its boss, Rob Boschen, said he was “utterly devastated” by the loss. And PM Albanese said it was “terribly sad that 3 brave souls working to help their fellow Australians have lost their lives”. Investigators say the crash site is in a “very remote” area, and it will take a couple of months to finalise their report. The bushfire situation in Queensland is easing thanks to some rain and cooler conditions, but there are still 20 fires burning across the state. In Western Oz, out-of-control bushfires south of Perth – one at the emergency level – have threatened lives and homes over the weekend. Authorities are hopeful of bringing the blazes under control early this week.