Fresno is getting one of Cal Fire's C-130 Hercules air tankers

FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) - California is the archetypal authorities successful the United States to ain and run C-130 Hercules aerial tankers - and Fresno volition beryllium 1 determination the peculiar craft volition beryllium assigned to.

According to an announcement by Cal Fire released Monday, the C-130 Hercules aerial tankers volition assistance combat wildfires and support the communities. There volition beryllium 7 aerial tankers successful Cal Fire's fleet based astatine 5 locations:

• Romona
• Paso Robles
• Fresno
• Chico
• McClellan

The caller aerial tankers tin alert 800 miles with a payload of 4,000 gallons of semipermanent occurrence retardant. The C-130 Hercules present has the top velocity and scope of Cal Fire's airborne fleet, officials say.

“As wildfire frequence and severity summation crossed California, the instauration of this craft volition undoubtedly play a important relation successful helping america execute our archetypal onslaught goals, peculiarly successful our efforts to support 95% of fires astatine 10 acres oregon less,” said Cal Fire Chief Joe Tyler.

According to Cal Fire, the caller aerial tanker was erstwhile utilized for hunt and rescue and cargo hauling erstwhile it was antecedently a portion of the Coast Guard.