Helicopters and tankers deploy 100,000 gallons of flame retardant to fight Davis fire

RENO, Nev. (News 4 and Fox 11) — The airstrike was an important tool in the fight against the Davis Fire in southern Reno. The strong winds forecast for Wednesday could incapacitate emergency crews in the afternoon.

On Tuesday, 19 helicopters were working in shifts to collect water from Washoe Lake and drop it on the steep terrain. There are areas that ground crews may not be able to safely reach. In addition, an arsenal of aircraft was deployed dropping fire retardant, including three large firefighting planes, two single-engine ones and a DC-10, dropping up to 1,600 gallons of fire retardant.

In addition, four Super Scoopers from Lake Tahoe fill the belly of the plane and extinguish the flames.

Many of the aircraft are refuelled and reloaded with fire retardants at Stead Airport, the air raid base. There is a continuous rotation of arriving aircraft.

“We have five tanks that each hold 5,000 gallons of flame retardant, and we have to fill those tanks with multiple loads of flame retardant every day because we use it up so quickly on this fire,” said Kim Toulouse, ramp manager at the Air Attack Base.

Toulouse said they expected to use about 100,000 gallons of flame retardant on Tuesday. It was a very busy day for the planes.

“So it's like a big battle or a big war. Air support can help win the war,” he said.

The airstrike continued Wednesday morning as they try to get as much fire retardant and water off the planes as possible in case winds keep them grounded later in the day.