LA fire update: aerial firefighting resumes

The fires began on Tuesday 7 January and have been fueled by winds with a speed of over 80 miles per hour, affecting aerial firefighters’ access to tackling them.

Almost 180,000 people have been instructed to evacuate under a mandatory evacuation order. Ten deaths have now been reported, with dozens more injured.

“What we’re seeing is the result of eight months of negligible rain and winds that have not been seen in LA for at least 14 years,” commented LA Mayor Karen Bass in a press briefing yesterday afternoon. “It’s a deadly combination.”

Coulson said in a social media post that its crews are “braving high winds and challenging conditions” in the fight against the largest fire, and company CEO Wayne Coulson confirmed that the winds disrupted aircraft operations on Tuesday and Wednesday. 

During the 8 January afternoon briefing Kristin Crowley, LA City Fire Chief, said: “The good news: the winds have subsided a bit, enough to allow our fixed-wing and rotor-wing aircraft to provide critical air support to this fire.”

Initially CAL FIRE moved firefighting resources to southern California, including 45 additional engines and six hand crews to the counties of Los Angeles, Orange, Santa Barbara, Ventura, Riverside, San Bernardino, and San Diego. A further 10 helicopters (Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawks) were deployed from the California National Guard’s Joint Forces Training Base in Los Alamitos, along with five US Forest Service large airtankers (with another en route), and 10 federal firefighting helicopters.

According to Vertical magazine, one of Coulson Aviation’s CH-47 Chinooks was among the aircraft working through the night in Los Angeles. The aircraft can pick up 3,000gal (11,300L) of water in 90 seconds with its retractable snorkel. Also engaged in nighttime firefighting operations were an LA City Fire Department Leonardo AW139, an LA County Fire Department Sikorsky S-70i Firehawk, and a Helicopter Express Bell 205A-1.

Local officials have urged the public to stay informed and be prepared to evacuate “without delay” if needed, with strong winds forecast to continue on Friday (10 January).

“As we head into tonight, we are still facing strong and erratic winds, and in Palisades and [Eaton] we are very much in an active firefight,” warned Mayor Bass. “Finally, air operations have resumed – and that is a big deal – but it is up to the winds as to how long the air support can continue.”