A Motorsports Hall of Famer and multiple world-speed record holder is helping quell the devastating wildfires burning in the foothills of Los Angeles, California — one air tanker drop at a time.

“USFS, has deployed five large air tankers, 10 firefighting helicopters and has dozens of fire engines deployed ... terrain and night flying. Each model provides distinct advantages in speed ...

Helicopters are generally dropping water to directly attack the fires, but air tankers — or fire bombers as I like to call them — are designed to carry fire retardant, which is designed to ...

An unauthorized drone collided with an air tanker battling the Palisades Fire on January 9, 2025, tearing a hole in the tanker's wing and rendering it inoperable to fight the fires. The collision ...

A C-130J Super Hercules over the Hughes Fire on Jan. 22, 2025. (California Air National Guard/TMX) Once a load is discharged from a MAFFS-equipped aircraft, and the aircraft lands at a tanker base ...

But money, politics, and the simple evolution of the industry have come to draw the curtain on Tanker 60. After more than 40 years in the air, saving countless lives and homes, the fire service ...