![]() The Sikorsky helicopter was able to make a safe landing and neither of the two people aboard were hurt, while the pilot and both passengers aboard the Bell were killed, Cal Fire Southern Region Chief David Fulcher said. ![]() A combination of S-2Ts and S-2As will be used by CAL FIRE in the next few years until a total of 23 S-2Ts replace all of the older S-2As. ![]() Fully loaded C-130s and Very Large Air Tankers(VLATs) deploy. The S-2T air tanker is part of CAL FIREs air program modernization efforts that will result in the safest and efficient mix of aircraft to carry out the fire fighting mission. Cal Fire, the state department that specializes in extinguishing wildfires, then dispatched six aircraft to the scene.Ī Sikorsky S-64E helicopter, carrying two people, and a Bell 407 helicopter, carrying three people, collided at 6:03 p.m. The USCG Air Station plays an important role in providing maintenance support for the aircraft. Tactical planes These aircraft are used in aerial command and control roles in fighting wildfires, providing. Three people were killed while fighting a California wildfire after two helicopters collided Sunday afternoon, according to state authorities.įirst responders were initially responding to a structure fire in Cabazon, Calif., when the blaze spread to nearby vegetation. Brown, senior chief of aviation for CAL FIRE, says CAL FIRE’s wildland air fleet consists of 23 Grumman S2-T twin-engine turboprop fixed-wing aircraft, 12 UH-1H Bell helicopters, 15 Rockwell OV-10 Bronco twin-engine turboprop fixed-wing aircraft, a twin-engine Sikorski S701 helicopter, two KingAir A200 fixed-wing aircraft, and seven Lockheed C-130H fixed-wing air tankers. Cal Fire said on August 23 that a total of 95 aircraft were battling the blazes. Three people were killed when their helicopter crashed into a hillside after colliding with another chopper as the team battled a wildfire, emergency officials said. Cal Fire uses these aircraft to responds to thousands of wildfires by dropping water and retardant throughout the state each year.Investigators walk around rotor blades from a crashed helicopter on a burned hillside in Cabazon, Calif., on Monday, Aug. ![]() State officials plan to post the firefighting aircraft in Tuolumne, San Diego, Tulare, Humboldt, Mariposa, Nevada, Siskiyou, Sacramento, Fresno, Shasta, San Luis Obispo, Napa, Placer, Lassen, Riverside and Sonoma counties, in addition to Butte.Ĭal Fire’s aviation system has grown to more than 60 fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft, making the agency the largest civil aerial firefighting fleet worldwide. The airplanes include three air tankers, each of which can carry 4,000 gallons of fire retardant.Ĭal Fire Director and Fire Chief Joe Tyler said that “the significant rainfall California experienced last winter has led to a substantial increase of highly flammable fuels, which contribute to the rapid escalation of fires.” Tyler added that last week alone, Cal Fire responded to more than 300 wildfires as temperatures continued to rise across the state. Gavin Newsom’s 2023-24 budget, Cal Fire has secured the use of 24 aircraft to bolster firefighting efforts during this year’s fire season.īutte County will host one of the aircraft, state officials announced Saturday.Ĭal Fire will benefit from 19 helicopters and five airplanes for a contractual period of 90-120 days. SACRAMENTO – Thanks to $72 million in funding from Gov.
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