California is struggling to contain huge wildfires burning forests and homes, warned Governor Gavin Newsom on Friday as more than 12,000 fire-fighters battled blazes that have killed six people. He called for assistance from other states but also from Australia and Canada. Not well known is that every year during fire season Canada sends Canadair CL415 “Super-Scooper” water bombers to help fight the fires.
More than 12,000 dry lightning strikes started the blazes during a historic heat wave in which thermometers in Death Valley National Park reached what could be the highest ever temperature reliably recorded.
Here’s one of the CL-415 completing a circuit—scooping water from a lake and dousing a fire.
Americans express their gratitude in this tweet thread.
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