NORTHCOM spends 'Fourth' fighting blazes

  • Published
PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. (AFNS) --  Six Department of Defense C-130 aircraft equipped with U.S. Forest Service Modular Airborne Fire Fighting Systems (MAFFS) and under the command and control of U.S. Northern Command are assisting in the efforts to control fires in the Rocky Mountain region and western United States at the request of the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) in Boise, Idaho.

As of early Wednesday morning, July 4, 2012, DoD aircraft have conducted 105 air drops and discharged more than 270,000 gallons of retardant.

C-130 MAFFS efforts Tuesday, July 3, were centered on the Squirrel Creek Fire, three miles west of Woods Landing, WY.

On Tuesday, the MAFFS C-130 aircraft conducted a total of 16 air drops, flying nearly 22 hours and discharged approximately 41,250 gallons of retardant.

(Courtesy U.S. Northern Command Public Affairs)