After nearly two months of record forest fires from Michigan to California, the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) added four more leased heavy helicopters to its firefighting fleet in late June. The additions include two Sikorsky S-61s from Siller Helicopters, an Erickson S-64 Air-Crane and an S-70 from Firehawk Helicopters. A spokesman for Erickson said that last year the company had six helicopters flying USFS contracts; this year that number is eight. The USFS said the helicopters will be used for large-fire support and in the initial assault both to drop retardant and support ground crews.
The warm spring and record summer heat across parts of the U.S., combined with continued tree death from beetle infestation, has made for an unusually volatile wildfire season, particularly in Colorado, New Mexico and Utah. According to the USFS, the annual average over the last 10 years has seen 41,043 fires destroying 2.68 million acres. Through the first six months of this year, the USFS has reported 30,132 fires consuming 2.44 million acres.
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