USNORTHCOM resumes wildfire suppression missions

Published July 5, 2012

PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. -- Six Department of Defense C-130 aircraft equipped with U.S. Forest Service Modular Airborne Fire Fighting Systems 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 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, 2012, were centered on the Squirrel Creek Fire, three miles west of Woods Landing, WY.

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

Content, including the most recent video, news and images in regards to the 2012 wildfires can be found at the following link on the Defense Video & Imagery Distribution System (DVIDS) site: http://www.dvidshub.net/feature/coloradofires2012#.T-tCaxdtaSo#ixzz1z1YLW4mg

For more information, contact USNORTHCOM Public Affairs at (719) 554-6889 or (719) 304-6097.