While forest fires out of control threatened thousands of Los Angeles residents earlier this month, companies that fighting hell from the air racing their air tank and water bombers to the area. It was supposed to be out of season.
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire, has more than 60 aircraft with fixed and rotor fire wings, which he calls the largest civilian fleet of that species.
But the federal government, the US state and the country from Australia to Cile and South Korea, are hiring companies that have their own private fleets of specially equipped aircraft to help restrain fires.
“I was lucky to have two” aircraft at my disposal to help fight flames, said Joel Kerley, the 10 Tanker Air Carrier, headquartered in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The company has a fleet of four DC-10 aircraft, known as very large air tankers or VLATs.
The plane descends as the smoke erupts from the Palisades fire in the Mandeville Canyon, Los Angeles, California, USA, January 11, 2025.
Shannon Stapleton | Reuters
The forest fire season in the United States usually runs from April to November, when 10 tankers and similar companies under 24-hour contracts with US Forest Service, a Federal Agency. In 2023. The US Forestry Service extended a 10-year contract worth as much as $ 7.2 billion with a company with 10 tanker and four other suppliers.
Outside these months, the providers of the services generally work on a call when necessary. And the demand for their services continues to grow, throughout the year, these companies say.
Forest fires are expected to become even widespread and more serious in the 21st century, according to the program of the United Nations for the environment. The Environmental Protection Agency of the United States has announced that the data shows that the surface destroyed by forest fires in the US has increased over the last two decades.
“There are not enough air tanks for transportation,” said Kerley, a former Air Force leader at the Indian’s Office, which is part of the Ministry of the Interior.
The flowers and the car are covered with a fireproof agent while Palisades Fire, one of the simultaneous fires that engulfed the Los Angeles district, worse in the Mandeville Canyon, Los Angeles fourth, California, USA, January 11, 2025.
Ringo Chiu | Reuters
Some countries that have faced heavy forest fires in recent years, such as Australia, build their own fleets of firefighting aircraft. Kerley said he would have to expand his fleets or companies like his have to increase to satisfy growing demand.
Kerley said the fires of Palisades and Eaton were one of the most complex to extinguishing. Puceded by hurricane winds, they ran all over the neighborhood like Altadena and were one of the worst ever in California. They were also a reminder to firefighters, state officials and the public for fires to emerge when they were least expected.
These two fires swallowed more than 37,000 hectares and damaged or destroyed more than 16,000 homes, buildings and other facilities, making them two most devastating forest fires ever in California. At least 28 people were killed, Cal Fire states.
Kerley said he asked for a few days in the new year from his crew pilot and mechanic to travel to fires he had equalized with “Super Bowl” in response to the fire. 10 Tanker’s planes threw more than 273,000 gallons to slow down fires on Eaton and Palisades fires.
Both fires were largely restrained on Friday, but companies like Kerley’s were still at a service while the Hughesa fire was quickly spread north of Los Angeles, leading to a new round of evacuation.
The air tank casts a fireproof agent on Palisades Fire, one of the simultaneous fires that affected Los Angeles County, viewed from Woodland Hills, Los Angeles Fourth, California, USA, January 11, 2025.
Ringo Chiu | Reuters
Since devastating fires in Los Angeles broke out during, as it is assumed, the out of forest fires in the region, some of the 10 Tanker’s aircraft were stuck at routine maintenance earlier during the battle. And he wasn’t alone.
“We have difficult winter work on maintaining all our aircraft,” said Davis, Executive Director of Belgrade, based in Montana Bridger Aerospace, which has a fleet of Canadian super scooper that grabbing water while flying along water and dropping water near the fire. I can do a few trips with one flight.
“It was a pressure to get the first aircraft out the door,” Davis said.
In November, Bridger reported on record revenues and obtained for its third quarter, saying that “continuously dry weather in the West of the United States retained more aircraft in November.” He increased his revenue estimates for a year to as much as $ 95 million from the previous range between $ 70 and $ 86 million.
Increasing the fleet of new aircraft is not simple or fast.
Kevin McCullough, President of Aero Air, who also offers air tanks, sent some of his MD-87 fires in Los Angeles. He said he could take about a year and a half for the jet to turn into a firefighting tank.
“It’s not like just inserting a tank and doing this,” he said. “You completely modify the spacecraft and turn it into a fire bomber.”
McCullough said that the development of these jet tankers took place privately, with the hope that he would eventually reach a contract with the Government for their services, but “there were never any guarantees.”
How to fight the fire from the air
Particularly trained pilots discharge water or a means of slowing fire from the air to help firefighters on Earth. A heavy, light red fire slower is usually thrown out in front of the fire, blocking the path of flames.
“The challenge of water or slower discharge is when these fires break out, most of the time it is not in a flat area and not in these days with blue sky and quiet wind,” said Paul Petersen, United Aeriala CEO. Fire Association.
Some of these pilots come from the army, while others exceed passenger airlines, Kerley said of 10 tankers. The age of fire extinguishers in the air has been stretched for decades. There are almost 30 employees.
Eight mechanics were assigned to each of the company DC-10.
“It’s a strange duck in terms of career,” Kerley said.
The Super Scooper plane throws water on fire in Palisades on Tuesday, January 7, 2025. To the Pacific Palisades, ca.
Brian van der Brug | Los Angeles Times | Getty Images
There are also natural forces to fight with: the fierce winds of Santa Ana, who were blowing in a hurricane power in early January, helped spread fires in the Los Angeles area and also grounded some aircraft early after their air missions.
The last DC-10 aircraft came down from McDonnell Douglas manufacturing tape in a nearby Long Beach in California almost four decades ago, but 10 tanker aircraft was remodeled to carry and accurately drop 9500 gallons of firefighting material.
An fire aircraft is full of water full of water from the Pacific Ocean on Will Rogers State in Los Angeles, California, USA, on Thursday, January 9, 2025.
Jill Connelly | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Water interventions like those used by Bridger Aerospace produce Canadian de Havilland Aircraft, and they are also becoming more and more sought after. These special aircraft can pick up 1600 gallons from nearby water bodies.
And some governments enhance their fleets by ordering the latest model of aircraft that is in development.
De Havilland, headquartered in Calgary, said last August that he received orders for EU countries for a new generation of aircraft, DHC-515, which is expected to start operating 2028.
The previous generations of Scooper were first produced in the 1970s. De Havilland’s new generation plans to improve things such as high -temperature cockpit air conditioning, control of water drops and corrosion protection, which helps to avoid damage from salty water.
“Given the age of the aircraft and the influence of climate change, demand will only grow,” said Neil Sweeney, Vice President of Corporate Affairs in the company. What was considered out of season no longer really exists.
-Erin Black from CNBC has contributed to this report.
