The Firehawk helicopters, designed to suppress wildfires and transport firefighters, were able to get an early start on extinguishing the Franklin Fire in Malibu.
The aircrews have been working around the clock since the fire started on Monday, in partnership with the Ventura County Fire Department, to put out the over 4,000 acre fire.
But in the early hours the crew faced many difficulties, one of them being flying in the dark.
“We were working on structure protection around Pepperdine,” said Jeff Seabrook, a pilot with the Ventura County Fire Aviation Unit. “To get there coming from the north, we are cresting over two ridges, not only at night, but now you can’t see the aircraft that are leaving Pepperdine as we're coming inbound to that area.”
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The two Sikorsky Firehawk helicopters, which were formerly Blackhawk helicopters used by the Army National Guard, were added to The Ventura County Aviation Unit at the start of the 2021 fire season.
