Airmen support California firefighting for sixth day

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Luke Johnson
  • 302nd Air Expeditionary Group Public Affairs
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AFPN) --  Airmen of the 302nd Air Expeditionary Group here are into their sixth day of California wildfire support July 1 helping to control fires engulfing areas of the Sequoia National Forest.

Airmen of the 302nd AEG operate out of McClellan Airfield in Sacramento and fly C-130 Hercules aircraft equipped with the Modular Airborne Firefighting System, which can drop 3,000 gallons of fire retardant per mission.

The 302nd AEG members are fighting the Piute fire in the Sequoia National Forest. The fire near Lake Isabella is approximately six percent contained and has scorched more than 7,040 acres, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. It is approximately 300 miles south of Sacramento and is threatening residential areas there.

Also fighting fires throughout the region are Marines from the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing using CH-46 Sea Knight and CH-53 Sea Stallion helicopters equipped with 2,000-gallon specialized firefighting buckets deployed at Naval Air Station Lemoore, Calif.

The 302nd AEG has eight MAFFS-capable C-130s and four Marine heavy-lift helicopters under its command and will launch as many missions as California officials require to help battle the state's wildfires. Aircrews have flown approximately 90 missions and dropped approximately 250,000 gallons of fire retardant since airborne missions began June 26. 

The 302nd AEG aircraft units include two Air National Guard units -- the 153rd Airlift Wing from Cheyenne, Wyo., and the 145th Airlift Wing from Charlotte, N.C. -- and one Air Force Reserve unit -- the 302nd Airlift Wing from Peterson Air Force Base, Colo. The Airmen support operations of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and U.S. Forest Service.

The 302nd AEG provides unique capabilities and is part of a unified military support effort of U.S. Northern Command to provide assistance to the U.S. Forest Service, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, and the National Interagency Fire Center. NORTHCOM officials continue to closely monitor the California wildfires to anticipate additional requests for Department of Defense assistance to local, federal and state civil authorities.

Fire information is current as of 3 p.m. July 1.

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