The three Americans who died while helping to fight the raging Australian wildfires have been identified by their employer following the Thursday crash of their C-130 Hercules bomber.

New South Wales premier Gladys Berejiklian has confirmed that the three men died after their plane went down in the state’s Snowy Monaro region, which is one of many areas impacted by the unprecedented fire season that has raged since late last year.

All three men were veterans of the US military who had been brought to Australia to help fight those fires by their employer, the Portland, Oregon, company Coulson Aviation USA.

McBeth served in both the Montana Air National Guard and the Wyoming Air National Guard. Hudson was a veteran of the Marine Corps and a graduate of the US Naval Academy. DeMorgan had served 18 years in the US Air Force.

Rick DeMorgan (Coulson Aviation USA)

Paul Hudson (Coulson Aviation USA)

Ian McBeth (Coulson Aviation USA)

In pictures: Australia wildfires continue to cause chaos Show all 23 1 /23 In pictures: Australia wildfires continue to cause chaos In pictures: Australia wildfires continue to cause chaos australia-fire-11.jpg A firefighter attempts to extinguish a bushfire in Bilpin in the Blue Mountains, New South Wales (NSW), west of Sydney, Australia EPA In pictures: Australia wildfires continue to cause chaos Australia-bushfires.jpg New South Wales Rural Fire Service crew from Bullaburra take a rest on the side of a road after fighting a fire as it threatened to cross the Bells Line of Road near Mt Wilson, in the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney EPA In pictures: Australia wildfires continue to cause chaos australia-fire-9.jpg Firefighters watch a bushfire in Bilpin in the Blue Mountains, New South Wales (NSW), west of Sydney, Australia EPA In pictures: Australia wildfires continue to cause chaos australia-fire-8.jpg Firefighters watch a bushfire in Bilpin in the Blue Mountains, New South Wales (NSW), west of Sydney, Australia. EPA In pictures: Australia wildfires continue to cause chaos australia-fire-7.jpg A firefighter attempts to extinguish a bushfire in Bilpin in the Blue Mountains, New South Wales (NSW), Australia EPA In pictures: Australia wildfires continue to cause chaos Sydney-bushfire-2.jpg Firefighters prepare to battle approaching flames from a bushfire near Faulconbridge in the Blue Mountains Getty Images In pictures: Australia wildfires continue to cause chaos Sydney-bushfire-1.jpg A firefighter prepares to battle approaching flames from a bushfire near Faulconbridge in the Blue Mountains Getty Images In pictures: Australia wildfires continue to cause chaos Sydney-bushfire-7.jpg A helicopter drops water to douse bushfires along the Linksview Road near Faulconbridge in the Blue Mountains Getty Images In pictures: Australia wildfires continue to cause chaos Sydney-bushfire-6.jpg A resident covers his face from the smoke as he waters bushes outside his house as a bushfire approaches the area near Faulconbridge in the Blue Mountains Getty Images In pictures: Australia wildfires continue to cause chaos Sydney-bushfire-5.jpg Firefighters prepare to battle approaching flames from a bushfire near Faulconbridge in the Blue Mountains. Thousands of largely volunteer firefighters have been battling infernos for more than a week across the state of New South Wales Getty Images In pictures: Australia wildfires continue to cause chaos Sydney-bushfire-4.jpg Firefighters prepare to battle approaching flames from a bushfire near Faulconbridge in the Blue Mountains Getty Images In pictures: Australia wildfires continue to cause chaos Sydney-bushfire-3.jpg A firefighter looks through heavy smoke surrounding trees as his team prepares to battle approaching flames from a bushfire near Faulconbridge in the Blue Mountains Getty Images In pictures: Australia wildfires continue to cause chaos australia-fire-13.jpg Firefighters attempt to extinguish a bushfire in Bilpin in the Blue Mountains, New South Wales (NSW), west of Sydney, Australia. Residents were urged to flee fires burning for a week in the Blue Mountains EPA In pictures: Australia wildfires continue to cause chaos australia-fire-12.jpg A bushfire burns in Bilpin in the Blue Mountains, New South Wales (NSW), west of Sydney, Australia EPA In pictures: Australia wildfires continue to cause chaos australia-fire-10.jpg Firefighters attempt to extinguish a bushfire in Bilpin in the Blue Mountains, New South Wales (NSW), west of Sydney, Australia EPA In pictures: Australia wildfires continue to cause chaos australia-fire-5.jpg Firefighters get ready to handle the situation following a bushfire near Faulconbridge in the Blue Mountains, Australia Getty Images In pictures: Australia wildfires continue to cause chaos australia-fire-4.jpg New South Wales (NSW) Rural Fire Service crews mop up an area after stopping a fire from impacting on a property at Bilpin, in the Blue Mountains, Australia EPA In pictures: Australia wildfires continue to cause chaos australia-fire-3.jpg New South Wales (NSW) Rural Fire Service crews work to stop a fire after it reached Mountain Lagoon Road near the township of Bilpin, in the Blue Mountains, Australia EPA In pictures: Australia wildfires continue to cause chaos australia-fire-14.jpg Firefighters watch a bushfire in Bilpin in the Blue Mountains, New South Wales (NSW), west of Sydney, Australia EPA In pictures: Australia wildfires continue to cause chaos australia-fire-6.jpg A helicopter drops water on a bushfire approaching homes near the Blue Mountains suburb of Blackheath, Australia Reuters In pictures: Australia wildfires continue to cause chaos australia-fire-15.jpg Rural Fire Service (RFS) firefighters try to extinguish a small fire approaching homes near the Blue Mountains suburb of Blackheath, Australia Reuters In pictures: Australia wildfires continue to cause chaos australia-fire-1.jpg A female Rural Fire Service (RFS) firefighter walks through a burnt area after trying to extinguish a small fire approaching homes near the Blue Mountains suburb of Blackheath, Australia Reuters In pictures: Australia wildfires continue to cause chaos australia-fire-2.jpg New South Wales (NSW) Rural Fire Service crews mop up an area after stopping a fire from impacting on a property at Bilpin, in the Blue Mountains, Australia. Firefighters have been battling hot, dry winds and soaring temperatures as new blazes begin breaking out Getty Images

“Right now, our hearts are with the crew's family and friends and our Coulson Family suffering in the loss of these three remarkable and well-respected crewmembers,“ the company said in a Facebook post.

Their deaths have been mourned by top US officials, including vice president Mike Pence and US ambassador to Australia Arthur Culvahouse.

Mr Pence wrote out condolences to the family on Twitter, while Mr Culvahouse wrote his message of mourning in a statement. “The brave Americans who died near Snowy Monaro died helping Australia in its time of need,” he wrote.

Martha McSally, a Republican senator from Arizona and first female fighter pilot to serve in combat for the United States, also weighed in to mourn Hudson, writing on Twitter: "AZ tragically lost First Officer Paul Clyde Hudson yesterday. A 20-year Marine veteran, Hudson died protecting others. Praying for his family and friends today."

"Devastated to learn that Montana Air National Guardsman Ian McBeth was killed fighting fires in Australia," wrote senator Jon Tester, a Democrat from Montana, on Twitter. "Sharla and I are thinking of his family and are so grateful to the folks who put themselves in harm's way at home and halfway across the world."