I'm a third-generation firefighter — and I'm helping to battle the LA fires from the air in a DC-10 fire bomber. Here's how we do it.

Aerial firefighting companies supplement federal and state firefighting fleets, and their services are in high demand.

Captain RK Smithley flies McDonnell Douglas DC-10 fire bombers for New Mexico-based 10Tanker. Smithley dropped red fire retardant over the Palisades and Eaton fires in Los Angeles. Mountainous terrain ...

Fire crews are days ... s most effective firefighting aircraft — capable of skimming the surface of open bodies of water. The Canadian-made amphibious water bombers can quickly scoop up large ...

Fire crews are days ... s most effective firefighting aircraft — capable of skimming the surface of open bodies of water. The Canadian-made amphibious water bombers can quickly scoop up large ...

When deployed as a firefighting aircraft, the C-130 can be equipped with a Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System (MAFFS) unit to support other air tankers in aerial suppression. The MAFFS units ...

Cal Fire had more than 60 aircraft within its firefighting fleet ... Smaller tankers can drop to about 150 feet when releasing retardant. Large tankers like DC-10s and the 747 SuperTanker give ...