A Nevada Army Guard UH-60 Black Hawk fills its 660-gallon water bucket during training at Stampede Reservoir, Calif., in June 2015.
Sixteen soldiers aboard two Nevada Army Guard helicopters were set to begin firefighting efforts on Monday while based out of Lampson Field Airport in Lakeport, California.
One of the helicopters is a CH-47 Chinook equipped with a 2,000-gallon water bucket; the other helicopter is a UH-60 Black Hawk outfitted with a 660-gallon bucket.
The crews departed Reno for Lakeport at 10 a.m. Monday. One fuel truck and one shop truck will also be used to support the fire suppression.
It’s likely the helicopters will assist at the Mendocino Complex fires.
According to Cal Fire, the combined acreage of several fires in that area was about 56,000 acres on Monday.
The Nevada Army Guard recently conducted interstate aerial firefighting training with Cal Fire, the Nevada Division of Forestry and other firefighting agencies in Alpine County, California, in late spring.