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As wildfires raged earlier this month, threatening thousands of Los Angeles residents, companies fighting the inferno from the air scrambled to send their air tankers and water bombers into the area. It was supposed to be the offseason.
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire, has more than 60 fixed-wing and rotary-wing firefighting aircraft in what it calls the largest civilian fleet of its kind.
But the federal government, US states and countries from Australia to Chile to South Korea are hiring companies that have their own private fleets of specially equipped aircraft to help fight fires.
“I’m fortunate to have two” planes to help fight the flames, said Joel Curley, CEO of 10 Tanker Air Carrier, based in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The company has a fleet of four converted DC-10 aircraft known as very large air tankers, or VLATs.
A plane falls as smoke billows from the Palisades Fire in Mandeville Canyon in Los Angeles, California, USA on January 11, 2025.
Shannon Stapleton | Reuters
The U.S. wildfire season typically runs from April to about November, when 10 tankers and similar companies have 24-hour contracts with the U.S. Forest Service, a federal agency. In 2023, the US Forest Service extended a 10-year, $7.2 billion contract with 10 Tanker and four other suppliers.
Outside of these months, vendors usually call as needed. And demand for their services continues to grow year-round, these firms say.
Wildfires are expected to become even more common and severe in the 21st century, according to the United Nations Environment Programme. The United States Environmental Protection Agency said data shows that the area destroyed by wildfires in the United States has increased over the past two decades.
“There aren’t enough air tankers to go around,” said Curley, the former chief of aviation for the Bureau of Indian Affairs, which is part of the Interior Department.
Flowers and a car are covered in fire retardant as the Palisades Fire, one of the simultaneous fires that swept through Los Angeles County, burns in Mandeville Canyon, a suburb of Los Angeles, California, United States, on January 11, 2025.
Ringo Chiu | Reuters
Some countries that have faced severe forest fires in recent years, such as Australia, are building their own fleet of firefighting aircraft. Curley said they will need to expand their fleet or companies like his will have to expand to meet the growing demand.
Curley said the Palisades and Eaton fires were among the most difficult to fight. Fueled by hurricane-force winds, they leveled entire neighborhoods like Altadena and were among the worst in California. They were also a reminder to firefighters, government officials and the public that fires can strike when they are least expected.
The two fires have burned more than 37,000 acres and damaged or destroyed more than 16,000 homes, buildings and other structures, making them the two most destructive wildfires in California. At least 28 people died, according to Cal Fire.
Curley said at the start of the new year, he asked his team of pilots and mechanics to go to the fires, which he likened to the “Super Bowl” of firefighting. 10 refueling planes dropped more than 273,000 gallons of fire retardant on the Eaton and Palisades fires.
As of Friday, both of those fires were largely contained, but companies like Curley were still on call as the Hughes fire spread quickly north of Los Angeles, prompting a new round of evacuations.
An air tanker drops fire retardant on the Palisades Fire, one of the simultaneous fires that have engulfed Los Angeles County, as seen from Woodland Hills, a suburb of Los Angeles, California, United States, on January 11, 2025.
Ringo Chiu | Reuters
Because the devastating fires in Los Angeles occurred during what is believed to be the region’s off-season for wildfires, some of Tanker’s 10 aircraft were stuck for scheduled maintenance early in the battle. And he was not alone.
“We are doing heavy winter maintenance on all of our aircraft,” said Sam Davis, CEO of Belgrade, Montana. Bridger Aerospace, which has a fleet of Canadian Canadian Canadian scoops that grab water as they fly over the water and drop it off near the fires. They can make several trips in one flight.
“That was the push to get the first plane out,” Davis said.
In November, Bridger reported record third-quarter revenue and profit, saying “continued dry weather in the western U.S. forced several aircraft to operate in November.” The company raised its full-year revenue estimate to $95 million from a previous range of $70 million to $86 million.
Increasing the fleet of new aircraft is neither easy nor quick.
Kevin McCullough, president of Aero Air, which also provides air tankers, sent several of its MD-87s to the fires in Los Angeles. He said it could take about a year and a half to convert the plane into a firefighting tanker.
“It’s not like you just drop a tank and do it,” he said. “You completely modify the plane and turn it into a fire bomber.”
McCullough said the jet tankers were being developed privately with the hope that government contracts would eventually be awarded for their services, but “there were never any guarantees.”
How to fight a fire from the air
Specially trained pilots drop water or fire retardant from the air to help firefighters on the ground. Heavy, bright red fire retardant is usually thrown in front of the fire, blocking the path of the flames.
“The problem with falling water or retardant is that most fires don’t happen on flat ground or on one of those blue-sky, low-wind days,” said Paul Peterson, United Aerial’s executive director. Firemen’s Association.
Some of those pilots come from military careers, while others are transitioning from passenger airlines, 10 Tanker’s Curley said. Firefighter pilots are decades old. There are about 30 people in his staff.
Eight mechanics are attached to each of the company’s DC-10s.
“It’s an amazing duck from a career standpoint,” Curley said.
A Super Scooper aircraft drops water on the Palisades fire on Tuesday, January 7, 2025. in Pacific Palisades, California.
Brian Van Der Brugh | Los Angeles Times | Getty Images
There are also natural forces to contend with: Fierce hurricane-force Santa Ana winds in early January helped spread fires in the Los Angeles area and grounded some planes early in their aerial missions.
The last DC-10 rolled off the McDonnell Douglas production line in nearby Long Beach, Calif., nearly four decades ago, but 10 tankers have been retooled to carry and accurately drop 9,500 gallons of fire retardant.
A super tank firefighting aircraft fills with water from the Pacific Ocean at Will Rogers State Beach in Los Angeles, California, U.S., Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025.
Jill Connelly | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Water scoops like those used by Bridger Aerospace are manufactured by Canada’s De Havilland Aircraft and are also increasingly in demand. These special planes can pick up 1,600 gallons from nearby bodies of water.
And some governments are adding to their fleets by ordering the newest model of aircraft under development.
Calgary-based de Havilland said last August that it had received orders from the European Union for the next-generation DHC-515 aircraft, which is scheduled to enter service in 2028.
Earlier generations of Scoopers were first built in the 1970s. The new generation de Havilland plans to improve things like cabin air conditioning for high temperatures, water drop control and anti-corrosion agents to help avoid damage from salt water.
“Given the age of the aircraft and the impact of climate change, demand is only going to increase,” said Neil Sweeney, the company’s vice president of corporate affairs. “What used to be considered an offseason doesn’t really exist anymore.”
— CNBC’s Erin Black contributed to this report.
