Trending Topics

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

Tanker 122 dropped 8,000 gallons of retardant on the Record Fire in Riverside County

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
Stay current on NIOSH program layoffs, the status of the National Fire Academy and changes to FEMA
The new Columbus fire station in Midland, replacing an aging facility and adding new bunk room alerts, fitness space and other firefighter wellness features
Lillian Bonsignore draws on her 30-plus-year EMS career to spotlight the financial realities facing first responders
Dispatchers say smartphone location programs such as RapidSOS and what3words help them find callers with near-constant accuracy