At least 43 helicopter crews have been working the Camp, Woolsey, and Hill fires ravaging California that so far have killed more than 60, left hundreds missing, destroyed more than 10,000 structures, and incinerated more than 237,000 acres. The Northern California Camp Fire was only 35 percent contained as of Wednesday, while the Woolsey and Hill fires in Southern California were 47 percent and 94 percent contained, respectively.
According to the Helicopter Association International (HAI), 11 type I (heavy) and 10 type II (medium) helicopters were working the Camp Fire from a helibase near Oroville while nine type I, nine type II, and four type III (light) helicopters were flying the Woolsey fire out of Camarillo.
Helicopter service companies flying the fires include Erickson, Helimax Aviation, Columbia Helicopters, and CHI Aviation.“Right now, Columbia Helicopters has five Chinooks fighting fire in California,” said Keith Saylor, director of commercial operations for the company. “We have two Chinooks working on the Woolsey Fire, two Chinooks working on the Camp Fire, and the fifth Chinook is assigned to perform initial attack operations in the Sacramento area. We have overcrewed our aircraft, so we’re able to fly every available minute of the day without worrying about exceeding the mandatory crew rest periods.” Erickson is flying three Aircranes on the Southern California fires.