At least three major fires popped up on Tuesday, June 13th, as 90-plus degree weather and gusting winds in the 30s made for hazardous fire conditions.
Video of water bomber dumping fire retardant on blaze near Benton City
One fire was in Oregon, near Hatrock State Park, which burned at least 3,000 acres, another near Finley by Hover Road consumed at least 600, and this fire pictured was year Yakitat Road, just off I-82 as you climb the hill outside Benton City.
We heard numerous air support calls going out from all these blazes because the wind was whipping them to the point where ground crews were hard-pressed to keep up.
This aircraft was shot in the video from Benton County Fire Protection District 2, seen dumping a huge load of red fire impression liquid on the blaze. The airplane is most likely an old McDonnell Douglas Dc-10, which was a widely-used commercial airliner between 1972 and was finally retired in 2014. 386 of them were built, as a competitor to the Boeing 747 and the Lockheed L-1011. As an airliner, the DC-10 could carry up to 270 people.
Benton County Fire District 2
Now, a number of them have been converted to firefighting jets, because of their handling and ability to approach at slow speeds over targets. And, they can carry massive loads of water or fire retardant.
This video captures one of its runs over the target area.