Inside look at Fresno Air Attack Base as crews fight several wildfires

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- With wildfires raging passim Central California, firefighters are taking to the skies.

Action News got uncommon entree wrong the Fresno Air Attack Base, wherever respective tankers touched down and taxied implicit to reload and refuel.

Crews connected the crushed moved rapidly to crook the planes.

There are 5 loading pits and 4 retention tanks. Together, they clasp 100,000 gallons of occurrence retardant.

The operators of the Erickson Aero Tanker corroborate it tin clasp 3,000 gallons. It takes conscionable 7 minutes to reload.

"That abbreviated turnaround clip for those Type One tankers for america to get retardant into these areas, you know, that's a large deal," Spokesperson Adrienne Freeman astatine the U.S. Forest Service said. She is assigned to the Garnet Fire, wherever respective craft person flown.

RELATED: Tracking each wildfire burning passim Central California

One of the planes is called an aerial attacker. Described arsenic a power operation successful the sky, the unit coordinates the drops below.

They perceive to six radios, each with 2 frequencies, often juggling respective transmissions. They grip astir of it connected their lap, utilizing a kneeboard and paper.

One formation unit told america astir the maps they print. With respective fires, they indispensable beryllium prepared for each of them.

Crews from CAL FIRE and the U.S. Forest Service are present joining each other's regular briefings.

"We person what is called Initial Attack Responsibility nether our impermanent formation restriction," Freeman said. "It means we don't bring different craft into a controlled airspace."

MAP: See wherever California wildfires are burning close now

Helicopters alert astatine little than 500 feet and spell successful 1 direction.

Tankers alert betwixt 500 feet and 1,500 feet, flying the different direction.

Above, the attackers ellipse with a birds-eye view. They enactment up for astir 3 hours astatine a time.

"Sometimes, we're successful places wherever we're an hr from a drop, and this is simply a large vantage to this occurrence to person each of (these) craft and person it adjacent by," Freeman said of the Garnet Fire.

As nighttime falls, the aerial onslaught continues. Some craft and crews tin alert successful darkness.

"We utilize those helicopters to benignant of beryllium a unit multiplier," Freeman said. "When we person conditions that are cooler, that are a small spot wetter, those h2o drops tin truly spell a agelong way."

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