Guard Firefighters to Remain in Arizona

More than three dozen members of the Channel Islands Air National Guard deployed to help fight Arizona’a deadly firestorms will remain on the front lines of two fires that have consumed 15,000 acres until the blazes are contained, National Guard officials said.

Up to 40 full-time and reserve firefighters stationed out of the Channel Islands Air National Guard Base near the Point Mugu Navy base will continue dropping fire retardants from their C-130s as long as they are needed, officials said.

“There’s no way to tell when they might return,” Maj. Michael Ritz said. “It all depends on the weather and the U. S. Forest Service,” which will determine when the fires are contained.

Two main fires sparked by lightning are ravaging the Arizona desert, calling for round-the-clock drops of fire retardant from the giant aircraft stationed at Channel Islands, Ritz said.

Temperatures reaching as high as 140 degrees have slowed firefighters, who are combatting blazes in steep terrain largely inaccessible on foot, Ritz said.

Ritz said it is not unusual to have a series of severe firestorms this early in the summer.

“I remember fires being early and late, where we’ve fought well into the winter on certain fires,” Ritz said. “It depends on the climate changes and exactly where we’re fighting.”

Ventura County guard crews reported to Arizona on July 1, several days after being dispatched to the Hemet and Sequoia fires in California.

In Arizona, the 10,000-acre Rincon fire was 85% contained as of early Sunday, but the Rattlesnake fire was listed at 35% containment.

Each of the C-130 crews drop an average of 26,000 pounds of pressurized fire retardant onto the fires every hour from as low to the ground as 100 feet.