Watch: CAL FIRE’s new C-130 tanker responds to first fire

By David Caraccio
Merced Sun-Star

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, Calif. — A new video shows the first fully operational C-130H delivering 8,000 gallons of retardant on the Record Fire in Riverside County, marking its inaugural firefighting mission over the weekend.

Tanker 122 has joined the fleet of the state’s firefighting agency, CAL FIRE.

“This marks an historic milestone in the agency’s ongoing commitment to CA!” Cal Fire chief Joe Tylor said on X.

California officials waited more than five years to get the first of several military aircraft they were promised by the federal government to help fight fires across the state.

(c)2024 the Merced Sun-Star (Merced, Calif.)
Visit the Merced Sun-Star (Merced, Calif.) at www.mercedsunstar.com
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Trending

Legal Issues

Md. paramedic pleads guilty in bodily fluid firehouse contamination case

Christopher Carroll pleaded guilty to three counts after prosecutors accused him of contaminating coworkers’ food and Baltimore County property

August 21, 2026 10:54 AM

NIOSH

Report released on Calif. firefighter/paramedic seriously injured by patient

A NIOSH investigation into a California behavioral health call shows how fast risk can escalate and why EMS crews need clear triggers to stage, disengage and call for law enforcement

August 21, 2026 02:31 PM

 · 

Bill Carey

Health & Wellness

Calif. first responders turn to peer-support dogs to help cope with trauma

Specially trained Critical Incident Stress K-9s are helping first responders process traumatic calls, reduce stress and open up during peer-support debriefings

August 22, 2026 08:00 AM

Firefighter Memorials

Phoenix honors fallen firefighter/paramedic with street dedication

A street outside Station 25 was dedicated to Miguel Angulo, who died in 2021 after contracting COVID-19 following an EMS call

August 22, 2026 12:00 PM