Rotorcraft
Bumper Firefighting Year for Columbia
Recent fires have encompassed much larger territory than those in the past.
A Columbia Boeing CH-47D fights the Rice Ridge Fire in Seeley Lake, MT. (Photo: Columbia)
A Columbia Boeing CH-47D fights the Rice Ridge Fire in Seeley Lake, MT. (Photo: Columbia)

The wildfires that ravaged Northern California's wine country last month are part of a pattern of larger and more destructive infernos that have dominated the 2017 fire season nationally, according to the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC). From January 1 through October 16, 8.77 million acres had burned in the U.S in 51,277 fires, compared with 4.913 million acres in 49,986 fires for the comparable period last year. (The NIFC reports the 10-year annual wildfire average is 56,465 fires burning 6.014 million acres.)