Dozens watched as a Cal Fire helicopter dropped water from the Mad River onto a fire in Blue Lake. The helicopter was already there for a demonstration, but the fire was not planned. The Blue Lake Safety Fair was going on at Perigot Park when smoke started to rise about a mile away. Colin Burton, a pilot for Cal Fire, flew the helicopter, which made 11 drops.
“It was the darndest thing. Here we were in Blue Lake, and our fire captains watched a transformer explode about a mile from here, and a vegetation fire started,” Burton said. “So we waited, are we getting the call or not, and we got a call. So we hooked up the bucket here in their wonderful ballpark, and went to the river, got water and started to drop the water on the fire.”
Captain Ed Peebles for Kneeland Cal Fire talked about his team’s response to the incident.
“Heard something start up there near the power lines, and we watched it for a minute and then saw smoke start and called it in and went to work, as did all the other volunteers. Blue Lake, A lot of the local cooperators jumped on it pretty quick.”
There are many moving pieces when it comes to fighting fires.
“It was a full wildland dispatch,” Burton said. “So we had an air attack and a tanker show up. Engines were dispatched as well. But I did my piece, which is go by helicopter, put water on fire.”
It was a sight to behold. Molly Homen, who helped coordinate the Safety Fair, was amazed by the air drops.
“My planning partner, Jason Crews, who’s on the Blue Lake Volunteer Fire Department, ran and said, ‘there’s a fire, I might have to go.’ Came outside and Cal Fire was loading up in their helicopter, ready to take off and go fight fire,” Homen said. “And we got to watch them dip their bucket into the Mad and bring it up and extinguish the fire.”
Onlookers that came to see the helicopter up close, also got to see it in action.
“It’s the coolest thing that could have happened at the safety fair today,” Homen said. “It was so exciting. It was exciting for me. I felt like I was a little kid. My mind was blown. Just to hear how excited the kids that were here seeing the helicopter take off, go get water, drop it. The other plane coming in, dropping the red stuff. It was just so epic.”
According to the pilot, the helicopter only had an hour and a half of fuel, but when it came back from dropping water, Kneeland spared some fuel.
