SANTA MARIA, Calif. - With the Gifford Fire burning just a few miles away east of Santa Maria, the Santa Maria Air Tanker Base is providing valuable support in the ongoing firefighting effort.
Since the fire broke out along Highway 166 on Friday afternoon, the base has been a whirlwind of activity with several air tankers and helicopters flying in and out on a repeated basis.
"The fire is burning in areas where it's incredibly steep and difficult terrain to access for firefighters on the ground, so the importance of the tanker base here and the proximity to the fire line is enormous," said Andrew Madsen, Los Padres National Forest Public Information Officer. "The retardant being dropped is in areas that are inaccessible to crews on the ground, so it's very important that we can help to try to slow the advance of the front."
Madsen noted the proximity of the base to the fire lines is playing a crucial role in helping in the difficult battle to try and get the fire knocked down.
"We're able to turn around in about 10 minutes time to get them reloaded, refueled and back into the air and then onto the drop site," said Madsen. "The quick turnaround time from the airport here is critical at the current time to help hold the spread of the fire on the flanks where we're seeing more aggressive fire behavior."
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