Palisades resident Patrick Golling discusses his family’s response to the California wildfires during an appearance on ‘Varney & Co.’
Dozens of planes and helicopters are helping to fight wildfires in the Los Angeles area.
Wildfires have been raging throughout the week in the Los Angeles area, with five fires currently burning in Los Angeles, Ventura and Riverside Counties as of Friday afternoon, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire).
Cal Fire currently has more than 60 airplanes and helicopters in its firefighting fleet – and aircraft from their fleet have been heavily involved in the ongoing effort to fight the flames from above.
A firefighter stands on top of a fire truck to battle the Palisades Fire as it burned homes on Pacific Coast Highway during a powerful storm on January 8, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Photos by Apu Gomes / Getty Images)
It uses Rockwell OV-10 aircraft “as the primary command and control platform for wildland incidents,” according to Cal Fire’s “Firefighting Aircraft Recognition Guide.”
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Those planes can operate at speeds of up to 258 miles per hour.
Cal Fire also counts three King Air A200 twin-turboprop planes among its “smart air planes.”
On its pages dedicated to the Palisades, Eaton and Hurst Wildfires, Cal Fire noted that “dozens of firefighting air tankers from across the State are conducting firefighting operations as conditions permit.”
The department uses Grumman S-2T and Lockheed C-130H aircraft as air tankers.
Their purpose is “the rapid delivery of fire suppression attacks to wildland fires,” according to Cal Fire.
A CalFire aircraft drops fire retardant over Davis Winery during the Glass fire in Napa County’s St. Helena, California on September 27, 2020. (JOSH EDELSON/AFP via Getty Images/Getty Images)
The latter type of aircraft can carry 1,200 liters, while the former has a capacity of 4,000.
Cal Fire is 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 fire near a large home in Emerald Hills near PG&E’s Edgewood substation in Redwood City, Calif. | Getty Images
Both can “quickly deliver a 9-person Helitack Crew to firefighting operations and quickly transition to water/foam disposal operations,” according to Cal Fire.
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A standard Sikorsky tank holds 1,000 liters of water or foam. Meanwhile, the Super Huey has a capacity of 324 liters of buckets and 360 of its fixed tank.
During wildfires raging in the Los Angeles area, non-Cal Fire aircraft were also seen contributing to firefighting efforts.
For example, the 10 Tanker Air Carrier said on Monday that X “flew more than 37 hours and dropped more than 260,000 liters of retardant to serve the area of ​​LA and the Palisades.” It uses McDonnell Douglas DC-10 main tanks.
A plane drops a firefighter during the Eaton Fire near Altadena, California, US, Monday, Jan. 13, 2025. (Benjamin Fanjoy/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Canada has long provided Canadair CL-415 Super Scooper aircraft on lease and, according to a press release Friday, two more will be headed to Los Angeles to help.
A high-speed firefighting water tanker flies to collect water in the Pacific Ocean at Will Rogers State Beach in Los Angeles, California, US, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. | Getty Images
Those planes “pick up water from oceans, lakes and ponds that can be dropped as regular water or mixed with foam retardant,” according to Cal Fire.
The Air National Guard has moved C-130 Hercules aircraft “equipped with Modular Aerial Fire Fighting Systems” to the Los Angeles area, where they are operating.
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The three wildfires currently active in the Los Angeles area began on Jan. 7, including the Palisades, Eaton and Hurst Fires.
The Palisades fire — the largest — has burned more than 23,700 acres since then and was 17% contained as of late Friday afternoon. The Eaton and Hurst Fires are 35% and 97% contained, respectively.
A plume of smoke is seen as a brush fire burns in Pacific Palisades, California on January 7, 2025. (DAVID SWANSON/AFP via Getty Images/Getty Images)
Two more — the Auto Fire in Ventura County and the Scout Fire in Riverside County — broke out this week, affecting about 60 acres.
Thousands of buildings were damaged or destroyed by wildfires. At least 24 people have lost their lives.
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