Bringing in the big guns at the #WestMims #wildfire! pic.twitter.com/ffHpfai9eH
— GAForestryCommission (@GaTrees) May 10, 2017
As firefighters on the ground continue efforts to get a handle on the West Mims Fire on the Georgia-Florida border, the attack from the air has intensified.
The Very Large Air Tanker (VLAT), a DC-10 fitted with a retardant delivery system, arrived Tuesday afternoon but was only able to make one fire retardant drop before low visibility due to settling smoke made subsequent air operations unsafe, officials said.
The aircraft made two 12,000-gallon retardant drops on Wednesday. Extreme conditions are expected to continue through the rest of the week, with temperatures approaching 100 degrees and winds gusting to 20 mph forecast — Red Flag Warnings are also expected to be issued in the area.
The blaze remains the largest and most active currently burning in the U.S., having already charred about 144,000 acres. It remains just 12 percent contained.
#firstalertwx airdrop Wed. (05/10) on the #WestMimsFire @WOKVNews pic.twitter.com/5PFtKEpQuc
— Mike Buresh (@MikeFirstAlert) May 11, 2017
Chattanoga, Tn. 400 air miles to the West Mims fire.
Why so far away? I thought there was a tanker base in northern FL?
Why Chattanooga ? Jacksonville or Savannah would be much closer.
Not only runway lengths,but facilities to mix and load the amount of retardant needed.
Does anyone know from what Tanker Base the DC-10 is operating?
Chattanooga, TN