SAN JACINTO – (INT) – CalFire has wasted no time in deploying its newest airborne tool to fight wildfires.

California is the first state to have a C-130 Hercules air tanker. It took to the skies over Riverside County Sunday dropping 8-thousand gallons of retardants on the Record Fire near San Jacinto. A former U.S. Coast Guard plane, it is one of seven that Cal Fire is supposed to eventually receive.

By comparison, Cal Fire’s air fleet includes about two dozen tankers which can each hold about 1,200 gallons of fire retardant.

Tanker 122 helped slow the Record Fire and stopped its spread at 517 acres.

Story Date: September 7, 2024