01/12/2025
The past several days firefighters from multiple departments across different states and nations have aided the city of Los Angeles California as they battle a number of apocalyptic wildfires raging across parts of the city and the hills surrounding the city of angels.
Video shows a one part of those efforts a C-130H ‘Hercules’ equipped with Modular Aerial Fire Fighting Systems (MAFFS) and used to drop fire retardant chemicals on the fires. This one is owned and operated by The Department of Forestry and Fire Protection however MAFFS equipment can also quickly be installed in other C-130s (supplied by the Department of Defense)if a situation overwhelms firefighters and extra surge aerial units are required. Which is whats happening in California. The C-130 equipped with MAGFS can water bomb almost 14 tons of fire retardant in less than 5 seconds making this a valuable asset in a situation like this where the combined fires have ate up tens of thousands of acres of land.
US military units have been arriving since yesterday to assist the exhausted fire fighting crews. US NORTHCOM specifically sent 8 C-130s to assist.
These units were sent to the Channel Islands in Southern California. March Air Reserve Base has been designated a FEMA incident support base and being used for the forward logistics of the firefighting operation.
The condition in Los Angeles is dire with crews working nonstop to contain all 4 of the major fires currently destroying parts of the city. The Palisades fire is currently estimated to be around 11% contained however it’s now moving inland towards Brentwood and other communities.
Latest reports from city officials puts the total deaths caused at 16 although that number is likely to be higher yet when all is said and done. A number of people are reported missing during all of this as they never showed up to safety after staying behind to protect their properties.
Multiple factors led to this specific outbreak of fires being as devastating as it is. Hurricane level winds that reached around 100MPH kept air crews grounded at the start of the fire which could have played a huge role in minimizing its damage. Another issue was water as firefighters could be heard calling “we got dry hydrants” on the radio last Wednesday. While improved water pressure in the Pacific Palisades region would have helped it still wouldn’t have been enough to battle a wildfire in its own, the city’s water system isn’t designed for that kind of strain all at once.
Another huge issue being talked about is funding for the fire department itself. Los Angeles is no stranger to wildfires and it’s reckless and almost criminal to defund these guys when the rate of wildfires per year is growing yearly. The lack of humidity for this time of year in the area played a huge role creating a bunch of fried up trees and overgrown but dry brush.
-Scott
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Global Conflict Reporting 
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