Fun and Games With Tanker 73

I hadn't had the camera out of it's bag for a few days, I was trying to get caught up with editing/storing/disseminating a bajillion images that had sat neglected for a month or so.  My computer's hard drive was nearly full, so I was forced into getting busy and clearing stuff out.

I was getting close to being done and I heard a report of a brush fire not too far away. It sounded good so I headed out there. The fire ended up being just outside of our jurisdiction, not too far from where I used to work. It was in a fairly accessible area, but as we weren't really involved I really didn't have the access that getting good ground shots would have required.

So, I set up across the highway and got ready for the air show that I knew would be coming. I wasn't disappointed, Cal-Fire sent three tankers and a helicopter. They saved the ground crews a lot of work and made some nearby residents feel a whole lot better about things.

First Pass:
Click on the image to enlarge

He kind of caught me by surprise, I was expecting a pass closer to the head of the fire, not the heel. I was hoping to change lenses before he started this pass, but didn't have time, so the 24-70 was going to have to do. This was the best of the four shots that I got of the pass, cropped a little to remove the traffic jam on the highway and to bring the plane in a little closer.

Second Pass:

I believe they were trying to work a finger that was down in a draw and keep the fire from coming out and causing problems on the right flank. I had changed lenses by then and was able to pull this in a little better. I usually don't like head-on shots, but this one is off just enough to keep me happy. This is the fourth or the fifth of a seven shot sequence.

Third pass:

Still working the draw, though there didn't seem to be a lot of fire activity left in it. They might have been laying a "pink line" to slow/stop the fire until crews could work there way down there and finish it off. As I couldn't see or hear what was going on down there, it is merely a guess on my part.

The fire was knocked down pretty quick, though it looked like they did some burning out to clean things up on the left flank.

As I left, I drove by four "type 1" engines from my agency, staged at the border. As it was a "type 3" engine show, I doubt they were used. I drove home and had a beer, just because I could.

Thanks for reading,
Schmoe