A multitude of planes and helicopters are helping fight the Los Angeles area wildfires.
Wildfires have been raging in the Los Angeles area for a week, with five fires currently active in Los Angeles, Ventura and Riverside Counties as of late Friday afternoon, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire).
Cal Fire currently has over 60 planes and helicopters within its firefighting fleet — and aircraft from its fleet have been heavily involved in the ongoing effort to combat the flames from above.
It uses Rockwell OV-10 planes “as the primary command and control platform on wildland incidents,” according to Cal Fire’s “Firefighting Aircraft Recognition Guide.”
CALIFORNIA WILDFIRES: ESSENTIAL PHONE NUMBERS FOR LOS ANGELES-AREA RESIDENTS AND HOW YOU CAN HELP THEM
Those planes can operate at a maximum speed of 258 miles-per-hour.
Cal Fire also counts three King Air A200 twin-turboprop planes among its “air tactical aircraft.”
On its pages dedicated to the Palisades, Eaton and Hurst Wildfires, Cal Fire noted that “numerous firefighting air tankers from throughout the State are flying fire suppression missions as conditions allow.”
The department uses Grumman S-2T and Lockheed C-130H planes as air tankers.
Their purpose is “rapid initial attack delivery of fire retardant on wildland fires,” according to Cal Fire.
The latter type of aircraft can carry 1,200 gallons, while the former has the capacity for 4,000.
Cal Fire is home to Sikorsky S70i Cal Fire Hawk and Bell UH-1H Super Huey helicopters as well.
Both can “quickly deliver up to a 9-person Helitack Crew for ground firefighting operations and quickly transition into water/foam dropping missions,” per Cal Fire.
CALIFORNIA WILDFIRES: INSURED LOSSES COULD TOP $30B, WELLS FARGO ANALYSIS FINDS
The Sikorsky’s fixed tank fits 1,000 gallons of water or foam. Meanwhile, the Super Huey has the capacity for 324 gallons for buckets and 360 for its fixed tank.
During the ongoing wildfires in the Los Angeles area, aircraft not owned by Cal Fire have also been seen contributing to the firefighting efforts.
For instance, 10 Tanker Air Carrier said Monday on X it has “flown over 37 hours and dropped over 260,000 gallons of retardant to serve the LA area and the Palisades.” It operates massive McDonnell Douglas DC-10 tankers.
Canada has long provided a pair of Canadair CL-415 Super Scooper planes through a lease and, according to a Friday press release, two more will be headed to Los Angeles to assist.
Those aircraft “scoop water from oceans, lakes and reservoirs which can be dropped as regular water or be mixed with a foam retardant,” according to Cal Fire.
The Air National Guard has flown C-130 Hercules planes “equipped with Modular Aerial Fire Fighting Systems” to the Los Angeles area, where they are operating missions.
BUSINESS LEADERS REACT TO CALIFORNIA WILDFIRES: ‘HEARTBREAKING’
Three of the wildfires currently active in the Los Angeles area began on Jan. 7, including the Palisades, Eaton and Hurst Fire.
The Palisades Fire — the largest — has scorched over 23,700 acres since then and was 17% contained as of late Friday afternoon. The Eaton and Hurst Fires have 35% and 97% containment, respectively.
Two others — the Auto Fire in Ventura County and the Scout Fire in Riverside County — emerged this week, impacting nearly 60 acres combined.
Thousands of buildings have been damaged or destroyed by the wildfires. At least 24 people have lost their lives.
