Earlier this month, the out -of -control mountain fire threatened thousands of Los Angeles residents, and the company that extinguished the fire from the air raced the air -tilted machine and water bombers to the area. It should have been off -season.
California Forestry and Fire Department (Cal Fire) have more than 60 fixed -wing and rotor firefighting aircraft, calling it the largest civil fleet in the same kind.
However, the federal government, the US states, and the countries from Australia to Chile to South Korea hire companies with their own private fleets to help extinguish the fire. These aircraft are equipped with aircraft specialized.
Joel Kerley, CEO of 10 TANKER Air Carrier in Alberth, New Mexico, said “I am lucky to have two” planes to help extinguish the fire. The company has a fleet consisting of four modified DC-10 aircraft. These aircraft are called super-large air tankers (VLAT).
On January 11, 2025, the fire in the Mandeville Canyon Palisz in Los Angeles, California, USA, a strong smoke fell from the air.
Shannon Stapolton | Reuters
The wildfire season in the United States usually signed a All -weather contract with the US Forestry Administration with the US Forestry Agency with similar companies with similar companies. In 2023, the US Forestry Administration extended a 10 -year contract worth reaching $ 7.2 billion in 10 Teker and four other suppliers.
Outside these months, providers usually call when needed. These companies said that the demand for its services throughout the year continued to grow.
According to the UN Environmental Planning Department, the 21st century wildfire is expected to become more common and serious. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency seems to show that the area of ​​the United States has been destroyed by mountain fires in the past two decades.
“There is no enough air tanker to use,” said Kle, the former Air Manager of the Indian Affairs Bureau of the Ministry of the Interior.
On January 11, 2025, the Palisades Fire, which occurred near the Mandeville Canyon in Los Angeles, California, was one of the same fires at the same time. Flowers and cars were covered by flame retardant.
Zhao Line | Reuters
In recent years, some countries that have encountered severe mountain fires, such as Australia, have been establishing their own firefighting fleets. Kley said that they need to expand the fleet, or companies like him must expand scale to meet the growing needs.
Cleh said that the fire of Palissez and Eaton was one of the most complicated fires to save. Driven by the high -rush -level wind, Altadine and other communities were razed to the flat land and are one of the worst regions in California history. They also remind firefighters, government officials, and the public that the fire may happen at the most unexpected time.
These two fires burned more than 37,000 acres of land, damaged or destroyed more than 16,000 houses, buildings and other buildings, and became the two most destructive wildfires in California. According to the California Fire Bureau, at least 28 people died.
Kerry said that at the beginning of the New Year, he asked pilots and mechanics to go to the fire field, and he regarded the fire field as a “super bowl” fire response. 10 TANKER planes have launched more than 273,000 gallon flame retardants in Eaton and Palissez fires.
As of Friday, these two fires have basically been controlled, but as the Hugas fire spread rapidly in northern Los Angeles, a new round of evacuation has caused companies like Kerley’s.
On January 11, 2025, from Woodland Hills near Los Angeles, California, it can be seen that an air tanker put a flame retardant into the Palisades Fire. It swept the fire at the same time as the entire Los Angeles County.
Zhao Line | Reuters
Due to a devastating fire in Los Angeles, at the time, the wild fire season in the area, some of the 10 tankers’ aircraft were in a routine maintenance in the early days of the battle. And he is not alone.
Sam Davis, CEO of Belgrade Airlines, said: “We are maintaining a lot of winter maintenance of all aircraft.” Bridge Aerospace Company, The company has a Canadian super tokn fleet that scoop up the water while flying along the water and pour water near the fire. They can travel multiple times by flight.
Davis said: “This is the motivation to promote the first aircraft to leave the factory.”
In November, Bridger announced the revenue and profits of its record in the third quarter, saying that “the continued dry weather in the western United States continued to operate in November.” It raised its revenue expectations from the previous 70 million US dollars to $ 86 million to $ 95 million.
Increasing the new aircraft fleet is not easy or fast.
Aero Air President Kevin McCullough also offers air tankers that sent some MD-87 aircraft to the Los Angeles fire scene. He said that it would take about a year and a half to convert a jet aircraft into a tanker to extinguish the fire.
“This is not to say that you can do this as long as you throw a tank in,” he said. “You are completely transforming the plane and turning it into a flame bomber.”
McCallo said that the development of these jet tankers was carried out privately. It is hoped that they can eventually obtain government contracts to provide services, but “there is no guarantee.”
How to extinguish the fire in the air
Specialized pilots spray water or flame retardants from the air to help assist firefighters on the ground. This heavy, bright red flame retardant is usually dripped on the fire to block the path of the flame.
“The challenge of spraying water or flame retardant Paul Petersen, Paul Petersen,” In the day.
10 TANKER’s Kerley said that some pilots have a military background and other pilots come from passenger airlines. The age span of the air firefighter for decades. He has nearly 30 employees.
Each DC-10 of the company is assigned eight mechanics.
“In his career, this is a strange duck,” Kley said.
On Tuesday, January 7, 2025, a Super Scooper aircraft sprinkled water in the fire in the Palissez fire in Palisz, Pacific, California.
Bryan Van Det Brug | Brian Van der Brug Los Angeles Times | Getty Pictures Club
There are also some natural forces to respond: in early January, San Anna’s wind accompanied the hurricane, which promoted the spread of the fire in the Los Angeles region and caused some aircraft to fly in advance.
Nearly 40 years ago, the last DC-10 aircraft was offline on the Macao Company’s production line near the Governor of California, but the 10 TANKER aircraft has been re-equipped, which can carry and accurately put 9,500 gallon flame retardants.
On Thursday, January 9, 2025, a super shovel water spray fire machine was supplemented from the Pacific Ocean on January 9, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California.
Gil Conventor | Bloomberg | Getty Picture Club
The water spoons used by Bridger Aerospace were manufactured by the Canadian Dehavilan Aircraft Corporation, and they were becoming more and more sought after. These special aircraft can draw 1,600 gallons from nearby water.
Some governments are enhanced their fleet by ordering the latest models that are developing.
The Dehawilan company headquartered in Calgary said last August that the company has won orders from the EU country’s new-generation aircraft DHC-515 and is expected to be put into operation in 2028.
The early Scooper was originally built in the 1970s. Dehavilan’s new generation plans to improve the functions of high temperature resistance, water droplet control and anticorrosive corrosion of the cockpit air conditioner, which helps avoid damage caused by saline.
Neil Sweeney, Vice President of the company’s corporate affairs, said: “Considering the age and climate change of the aircraft, the demand will only increase.” “The so -called off -season no longer exists.”
—Erin Black of CNBC contributed to this report.
