23 July 2019-23:43 UTC-07 Tango 06 (02 Mordad 1398/21 Dhu l-Qa’da 1440/22 Xin-Wei 4717)
The fires keep burning in eastern Idaho. Things got so hot today that evacuations of ‘non-essential personnel’ were ordered near the Idaho National Laboratory’s nuclear jet engine and EBR-1 nuclear-disaster-reactor, due to the rapid expansion of the ‘Sheep Fire’ (about 85-thousand acres, 34398 hectares).
MD-87 (foreground) and DC-10 (background) tankers rolling in from their latest east Idaho mission. Photo by AAron B. Hutchins.
The Sheep Fire is just one of dozens of wild fires in Idaho right now so, once again, the little used Pocatello Airport was put to good use by water bombers from 10 Tanker Air Carrier and Erickson Aero Tanker.
Photo by AAron B. Hutchins.
Photo by AAron B. Hutchins.
Photo by AAron B. Hutchins.
A little bird water bomber heads out. Photo by AAron B. Hutchins.
Photo by AAron B. Hutchins.
A new U.S. Forest Service King Air 250 FAC (Forward Air Controller) taking off. Photo by AAron B. Hutchins.
King Air ‘FAC’: Forest Service buys its first lead plane in almost 40 years
The King Air passes by the incoming DC-10. Photo by AAron B. Hutchins.
A familiar sight ever since the big fires of 2012. Photo by AAron B. Hutchins.
Home for the night. Photo by AAron B. Hutchins.
WILD FIRES 2019: DC-10, IDAHO’S 911