World's largest firefighting plane is shut down as fire season begins

WEBVTT N THE WAY AND HOW ITWORKS.MIKE: AMONG THE LIST OFRESOURCES HELPING WITH THE FIRESIN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA IS THIS-- THE WORLD'S LARGESTFIREFIGHTING AIRCRAFT.I SPOKE WITH THE PILOT OF THISAIRCRAFT.WHEN HE SAYS THIS PLANE ISCALLED IN, YOU KNOW THE FIRESITUATION IS INTENSE ANDWIDESPREAD.THE LAST TIME IT FLEW OUT WASDURING THE SANTA ROSA FIRES.ONE HOUR AGO, SUPPORT CREWSMANAGERS THIS AIRCRAFT IS READYFOR DEPLOYMENT TO SOUTHERNCALIFORNIA AS SOON AS IT ISREQUESTED.GIVING THE SITUATION, THE PILOTTOLD ME HE HAS ONE MAIN HOPE FORTODAY -- >> WE ALWAYS HOPE TO HELP IN THEEFFORT, TO GET THE FIRE OUT.OUR BIG SHOT IS TO THE MEN ANDWOMEN ON THE GROUND.THOSE ARE THE TRUE HEROES.WE ARE HERE TO HELP THEM.MIKE: I HAD TO ASK, "WHY IS THISSUPERTANKER STATION IN NORTHERNCALIFORNIA WITH ALL OF THE OTHERFIREFIGHTING AIRCRAFTS HAVE BEENREPOSITIONED AND DEPLOYED TOSOUTHERN CALIFORNIA AND ARE PARTTO DOWN THERE, READY TO DEPLOYMUCH QUICKER?"EVEN THOUGH WE ARE HUNDREDS OFMILES AWAY FROM THE NEARESTSOUTHERN CALIFORNIA WILDFIRE,THE PILOT TOLD ME THE DISTANCEIS NOT A HURDLE BECAUSE ONCE THEPLANE GETS INTO THE AIR, IT CANFLY 600 MILES AN HOUR.IT MEANS THEY CAN GET TO VENTURACOUNTY AND ROUGHLY 37 MINUTESONCE THEY TAKE OFF.ONCE THEY ARE IN THE AIR, THISTHINK A UP NEARLY 20,000 GALLONSOF FIRE RETARDANT OR COVERINGAREA TWO MILES LONG.

--Video from previous broadcast. The world’s largest firefighting plane has been shut down just as Western states prepare for a wildfire season that fire officials fear could be worse than the average year.Tara Lee, a spokeswoman for Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, said via email Friday that the state’s Department of Natural Resources was alerted to the shutdown of the worlds’ largest firefighting plane called the Global SuperTanker. Representatives from that department didn’t immediately respond to questions about how that move could affect the state’s firefighting efforts.The decision to cease the SuperTanker’s operations was first reported by Fire Aviation, an industry website that reported an email was sent this week to officials in Colorado, Oregon, Washington and the U.S. government saying that the investor group that owns the plane was shutting it down.A spokesman for company that operates the plane, Global SuperTanker Services LLC, declined to comment Friday.The Global SuperTanker is a converted Boeing 747 plane that can dump up to 19,200 gallons (72,678 liters) of water or flame retardant in just six seconds and fly as low as 200 feet (61 meters) above the ground to do its work. It can be refilled in just 13 minutes.The SuperTanker has helped in many Western wildfires and was deployed in Israel in 2016 and in Chile in 2017. Costs can run as much as $250,000 a day.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. —

--Video from previous broadcast.

The world’s largest firefighting plane has been shut down just as Western states prepare for a wildfire season that fire officials fear could be worse than the average year.

Tara Lee, a spokeswoman for Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, said via email Friday that the state’s Department of Natural Resources was alerted to the shutdown of the worlds’ largest firefighting plane called the Global SuperTanker. Representatives from that department didn’t immediately respond to questions about how that move could affect the state’s firefighting efforts.

The decision to cease the SuperTanker’s operations was first reported by Fire Aviation, an industry website that reported an email was sent this week to officials in Colorado, Oregon, Washington and the U.S. government saying that the investor group that owns the plane was shutting it down.

A spokesman for company that operates the plane, Global SuperTanker Services LLC, declined to comment Friday.

The Global SuperTanker is a converted Boeing 747 plane that can dump up to 19,200 gallons (72,678 liters) of water or flame retardant in just six seconds and fly as low as 200 feet (61 meters) above the ground to do its work. It can be refilled in just 13 minutes.

The SuperTanker has helped in many Western wildfires and was deployed in Israel in 2016 and in Chile in 2017. Costs can run as much as $250,000 a day.

World's largest firefighting plane is shut down as fire season begins

Top Picks