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Reservists support California fires for sixth day

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Luke Johnson
  • 302nd Air Expeditionary Group Public Affairs
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AFPN) --  Air Force reservists and aircraft from the 302nd Airlift Wing are among scores of Airmen and Marines here fighting California wildfires. Fires have raged for six consecutive days. On July 1, wildfires were engulfing areas of the Sequoia National Forest.

Airmen from the 302nd AW, Peterson AFB, Colo., were dispatched to California June 26 to join the 302nd Air Expeditionary Group at McClellan Airfield in Sacramento. The 302nd flies C-130H Hercules aircraft equipped with the Modular Airborne Firefighting System, which can drop 3,000 gallons of fire retardant per mission.

The 302nd AEG is made up of the AF Reserve's 302nd AW and two Air National Guard units -- the 153rd Airlift Wing from Cheyenne, Wyo., and the 145th Airlift Wing from Charlotte, N.C. The Airmen support operations of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and U.S. Forest Service.

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 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. (Story localized from Air Force News Service release)