Hughes Fire: The California Air National Guard releases a video showing the view from the cockpit of a plane battling the blaze
The dramatic video takes viewers inside the cockpit of a California Air National Guard plane used to combat the growing population Hughes Fire in Los Angeles County.
The footage shows a C-130J Super Hercules dropping fire retardant in low flight the flames raged Wednesday in Castaic, a community near Santa Clarita.
“Modular Aerial Fire Suppression Systems (MAFFS) are portable firefighting systems of the US Forest Service and can be inserted into C-130 military aircraft without major structural modifications to convert them into aerial tankers when needed,” the California National Guard said.
“They can discharge an entire load of up to 3,000 gallons of retardant in less than five seconds, covering an area one-quarter mile long and 100 feet wide, or they can make different drops,” it added. “Once cargo is unloaded from a MAFFS-equipped aircraft and the aircraft lands at a tanker base, it can be reloaded in less than 12 minutes.”
LA HUGHES FIRE ONLY 14% CONTAINED AFTER BURNING 10,000 ACRES
A cockpit view shows California Air National Guard pilots flying through the Hughes Fire in Los Angeles County on Wednesday, Jan. 22. (146 Airlift Wing/California Air National Guard/TMX)
The Hughes Fire has now burned more than 10,000 acres and is still only 14% contained, firefighters announced Thursday.
fire, first reported Wednesday morning, it quickly spread due to aggressive winds that have hampered firefighting efforts for weeks.
Pilots approach the Hughes Fire in Castaic, California. (146 Airlift Wing/California Air National Guard/TMX)
More than 4,000 firefighters are assigned to the Hughes Fires, authorities say.
“Weather is the biggest driver of this fire and its spread right now. A red flag warning remains in effect until 10 a.m. Friday,” Los Angeles Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said in a statement. “The fire is still difficult to contain, even though we have the advantage.”
Tankers dump fire retardant on the leading edge of the Hughes Fire in Castaic, Calif., Wednesday, Jan. 22. (David Crane/MediaNews Group/Los Angeles Daily News via Getty Images)
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The fire forced the evacuation of about 50,000 people and caused temporary road closures on Interstate 5 on Wednesday.
Anders Hagstrom of Fox News contributed to this report.
