California's latest weapon in the never-ending war against wildfires, a former military plane repurposed to drop fire retardant, has deployed on its first mission in Riverside County. CAL FIRE's ...

Cal Fire currently has over 60 planes and helicopters within its firefighting fleet — and aircraft from its fleet have been heavily involved in the ongoing effort to combat the flames from above.

“Aircraft were able to fly throughout the night,” said Cal Fire Aviation Program Communications Officer Linnea Edmeier. “That’s something new. It’s given us some insight into how we can ...