An inside look at Cal Fire's newest airtankers for fighting wildfires

Updated: 8:24 PM PDT Jul 18, 2019
MCCLELLAN PARK, Calif. —

Cal Fire now has seven C130 airtankers to help battle wildfires.

The new aircraft can carry thousands of gallons of fire retardant, which ultimately will help put wildfires out faster.

"Retardant is dropped in front of the fire. The fire burns up to the retardant and it slows it down," Cal Fire Deputy Director Mike Mohler explained.

Here are five things you need to know about Cal Fire's C130s:

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1 Why is this acquisition such a big deal?

Cal Fire is now the only fire department aviation fleet in the world with its own fleet of large air tankers.

"It means more defense to the citizens of California -- the people we serve," Mohler explained. "This gives us another tool in the toolbox to really protect lives and property is what it boils down to."

Cal Fire got the planes through the National Defense Act. The airtankers were previously used by the military

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2 What happens to the planes currently in the fleet?

The seven new C130 airtankers will join the 22 S-2T airtankers and helicopters already in the fleet.

All the aircraft in Cal Fire's fleet will work in tandem when needed to battle wildfires.

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3 How are the C130s different from the S-2T airtankers?

The C130s are a lot more elaborate than the S-2T airtankers.

The new planes take a three-person crew to operate, instead of the one pilot needed for the S-2T airtankers.

The S-2T airtankers Cal Fire currently uses can carry up to 1,200 gallons of fire retardant. The new C130s can each carry 4,000 gallons.