Palisades resident Patrick Golling talks about his family’s response to the California wildfires during an appearance on ‘Varney & Co.’
Many planes and helicopters are helping to fight wildfires around Los Angeles.
Wildfires have been raging through 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 California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire).
Cal Fire currently has more than 60 aircraft and helicopters within its firefighting fleet — and aircraft from their fleet are heavily involved in ongoing efforts to fight the flames from above.
A firefighter stands on top of a fire engine to battle the Palisades Fire as homes burn on Pacific Coast Highway amid a powerful storm on January 8, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Apu Gomes/Getty Images/Getty Images)
It uses Rockwell OV-10 aircraft “as the primary command and control platform for wildland incidents,” according to Cal Fire’s “Fire Aircraft Identification Guide.”
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These planes can fly at a maximum speed of 258 miles per hour.
Cal Fire also counts three King Air A200 twin-turboprop aircraft among its “air tactical aircraft.”
On its pages dedicated to the Palisades, Eaton and Hurst wildfires, Cal Fire noted that “numerous fire air tankers from across the state are flying firefighting missions as conditions permit.”
The department uses Grumman S-2T and Lockheed C-130H aircraft as air tankers.
Their purpose is “rapid initial delivery of fire retardant to wildfires,” according to Cal Fire.
A CalFire aircraft drops fire retardant over the Davis Winery during a glass fire in Napa County, Calif., on Sept. 27, 2020. (JOSH EDELSON/AFP via Getty Images/Getty Images)
The latter type of aircraft can carry 1,200 gallons, while the former has a capacity for 4,000.
Cal Fire is also home to the Sikorsky S70i Cal Fire Hawk and Bell UH-1H Super Huey helicopters.
A Cal Fire helicopter prepares to drop water on a wildfire near a large home in Emerald Hills near PG&E’s Edgewood substation in Redwood City, California | Getty Images
Both can “rapidly deliver up to a 9-man Helitack crew for ground firefighting operations and quickly transition to water/foam dumping missions,” according to Cal Fire.
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Sikorsky’s fixed tank holds 1,000 gallons of water or foam. Meanwhile, the Super Huey has a capacity of 324 gallons for buckets and 360 gallons for its fixed tank.
During ongoing fires in the Los Angeles areaAircraft not owned by Cal Fire were also seen contributing to firefighting efforts.
For example, the 10 Tanker Air Carrier said Monday on X that it “flew more than 37 hours and dropped more than 260,000 gallons of retardant to serve the LA and Palisades area.” It works massive McDonnell Douglas DC-10 tankers.
An aircraft drops fire retardant during the Eaton Fire near Altadena, California, U.S., Monday, Jan. 13, 2025. (Benjamin Fanjoy/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Canada has long provided a pair of Canadair CL-415 Super Scooper aircraft on lease, and according to a press release Friday, two more will be sent to Los Angeles to help.
A Super Scooper water-dropping firefighting aircraft flies to retrieve water from the Pacific Ocean at Will Rogers State Beach in Los Angeles, California, U.S., Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. | Getty Images
Those aircraft “pick up water from oceans, lakes and reservoirs that can be discharged as plain water or mixed with a foam inhibitor,” according to Cal Fire.
The Air National Guard has sent C-130 Hercules aircraft “equipped with modular aerial firefighting systems” to the Los Angeles area, where they are performing missions.
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Three of forest fires currently active in the Los Angeles area began on January 7, including the Palisades, Eaton and Hurst Fires.
The Palisades Fire — the largest — has since burned more than 23,700 acres and was 17% contained as of late Friday afternoon. The Eaton and Hurst fires are 35% and 97% contained, respectively.
Plumes of smoke are seen as a brush fire burns in Pacific Palisades, California on January 7, 2025. (DAVID SWANSON/AFP via Getty Images/Getty Images)
Two others — the Auto Fire in Ventura County and the Scout Fire in Riverside County — broke out this week, collectively affecting nearly 60 acres.
Thousands of buildings were damaged or destroyed in forest fires. At least 24 people lost their lives.
