Gap Fire, Goleta, July 2008 |
The Gap Fire started burning on the afternoon of Tuesday, July 1 near West Camino Cielo on the crest of the Santa Ynez Mountains above Goleta.
Slideshow of the helicopters fighting the Gap Fire.
A Carson Helicopters Sikorsky S-61N joined the helicopters fighting the fire.
There are still some plumes of smoke rising from the crest of the mountains.
Carson Helicopters Sikorsky S-61N N905AL flies as Tanker 761. It was built in 1974.
A pair of Sikorsky Skycranes lifted slurry from a station on Bishop Ranch to the hot spots on the ridge and in Elwood Canyon.
Tanker 744.
Poweer lines run through the burn area off the end of Glen Annie Road. Fires burning under the powerlines have caused several power outages.
Erickson Air Crane Sikorsky S64E Skycrane N247AC flies as Tanker 744. It was built for the civilian market in 1968.
Helicopter Transport Services Sikorsky CH-54B Skycrane N720HT flies as Tanker 720. It is a veteran of the US Army. Its Army tail number was 69-18463. It has accumulated 4,400 flight hours. It fights fires in Australia sor five months each year.
Tanker 720.
Tanker 720.
Tanker 744.
Tanker 744 sucks up a load of retardant at Bishop Ranch.
Tanker 744.
Tanker 744.
Tanker 744.
Tanker 744.
Tanker 744.
Tanker 744.
Tanker 744.
You can buy framed prints or greeting cards of this photo.
Erickson Air Crane S64E Skycrane N247AC Tanker 744.
Tanker 744.
Tanker 744.
Cathedral Oaks was closed from Gelnn Annie to Turnpike on Saturday morning. It was reopened in the afternoon. A helicopter slurry station was set up on Bishop Ranch. Four Marine Corps Boeing-Vertol CH-46F Sea Knights, two Santa Barbara County Fire Bell UH-1H Hueys, and a pair of Sikorsky Skycranes carried loads of slurry to the hot spots near West Camino Cielo.
Marine Corps Boeing-Vertol CH-46F Sea Knight BuNo 157652 of HMM-268 based at Naval Air Station Lemoore is flying as Tanker 905.
CH-46F Sea Knight BuNo 155315 of HMM-268 is flying as Tanker 906.
CH-46F Sea Knight BuNo 157723 of HMM(T)-154 is flying as Tanker 903.
Tanker 903.
Tanker 903.
,
CH-46F Sea Knight BuNo 156426 of HMM(T)-154 is flying as Tanker 904.
You can buy framed prints or greeting cards of this photo.
Tanker 904.
Helicopter Transport Services Sikorsky CH-54B Skycrane N720HT flies as Tanker 720.
Palm Springs Aviation Bell 206L-3 LongRanger III N613LH.
Tanker 720
Tanker 720
Tanker 720
Tanker 720
Sea Knights and LongRanger sitting in the long grass at Bishop Ranch..
Tanker 720
Tanker 720
Tanker 720
Tanker 720.
Tanker 720
Tanker 720
Tankers 903 and 904 take off without their Bambi buckets.
Tankers 905 and 906 take off without their Bambi buckets.
The four Sea Knights formed up and headed back to NAS Lemoore.
Tanker 903.
Tanker 904.
Tanker 906.
Tanker 905
Palm Springs Aviation Bell 206L-3 LongRanger III N613LH.
Tanker 720
Helicopter Transport Services Sikorsky CH-54B Skycrane N720HT Tanker 720.
You can buy framed prints or greeting cards of this photo.
Tanker 720
Santa Barbara County Fire Department Bell UH-1H Huey N205KS flies as Tanker 308. It is equipped with a snorkel.
Santa Barbara County Fire Department Bell UH-1H Huey N205FD flies as Tanker 309. It carries a Bambi bucket.
Tanker 308.
Tanker 309.
Erickson Air Crane Sikorsky S64E Skycrane N247AC flies as Tanker 744.
Tanker 744.
Hotspots along West CAmino Cielo on the crest of the Santa Ynez Mountains.
Cathedral Oaks is closed eastbound at Los Carneros.
The DC-10 tanker was sighted over the Sante Ynez Mountains at 12:50 PM.
A pair of CH-46 Sea Knights and the Santa Barbara County UH-1H have been making drops on the fire as a North American OV-10 Bronco orbits overhead.
Boeing-Vertol CH-46 Sea Knight 904
Santa Barbara County Fire Department Bell UH-1H Huey N205FD
Boeing-Vertol CH-46 Sea Knight 904
Another parade of fire trucks along Cathedral Oaks.
Boeing-Vertol CH-46 Sea Knight 904
Boeing-Vertol CH-46 Sea Knights 903 and 904
CDF North American OV-10A Bronco.
A gray layer of smoke hangs over the city. The wind is still and the intensity of the fire has abated.
Emergency vehicles are staging at Dos Pueblos high School.
Thursday evening they evacuated north of Cathedral Oaks from Fairview to Patterson.
The power failure sent many people out of their houses to look at the fire.
Hot spots flared in scattered locations across the mountsinside.
Power in the area went out about 7:30 PM. It was restored about 11:30 PM.
The plume of smoke from the Gap Fire blowing south over Goleta.
Aerial tankers
You can buy a 2020 Calendar featuring my photographs of aerial tankers in flight and fighting fires.
A dozen photos of aerial tankers:
Boeing B-17F Flying Fortress N17W Tanker 04, Santa Barbara, September 12, 1979
Douglas DC-7C N5903 Tanker 35, Santa Barbara, November 28, 1980
Douglas C-54E Cargomaster N460WA Tanker 151, Santa Ynez Valley, July 30, 1990
California Air National Guard C-130E Tanker 6, NAWS Pt. Mugu, April 25, 1998
Douglas C-54E Cargomaster N8502G Tanker 65, Santa Barbara Airport, May 5, 2004
Evergreen S-64E Skycrane N6979R Tanker 707, Santa Ynez Valley, May 7, 2004
Evergreen International Boeing 747 Supertanker, San Bernardino, May 31, 2006
Grumman S-2T Tracker N439DF Tanker 74, Santa Barbara Airport, June 19, 2006
Lockheed P2V-5 N1386C Tanker 44, Santa Barbara, June 19, 2006
Coulson Flying Tankers Martin JRM Hawaii Mars, Lake Elsinore, October 27, 2007
McDonnell-Douglas DC-10-30 10 Tanker Air Carrier Tanker 911, Mesa, Arizona 2011
BAE-146-200A N146FF Tanker 40, Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, June 15, 2012
Put a copy of the Aerial Tankers: 2020 Calendar in your Lulu.com shopping cart for $14.95.
You can buy a 2020 calendar featuring my photographs of California Department of Forestry fire fighting aircraft.
This calendar is dedicated to the men and women of CAL FIRE and honors those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for the citizens of California.
A dozen photos of California Department of Forestry fire fighting aircraft:
Grumman US-2A Tracker N416DF Tanker 96, Santa Barbara, September 13, 1979
Grumman F7F-3 Tigercat NX7195C Tanker E40, Beale Air Force Base, May 31, 1980
Grumman TS-2A Tracker N405DF Tanker 72, Santa Barbara, October 16, 1985
Grumman TS-2A Tracker N406DF Tanker 73, Santa Barbara, July 19, 1990
Grumman TS-2A Tracker N420DF Tanker 75, Santa Ynez Mountains. August 15, 2002
Bell UH-1H Huey N805EH, Santa Ynez Mountains. August 15, 2002
McDonnell-Douglas DC-10-10 Tanker 910, Victorville, June 17, 2005
Grumman S-2T Tracker N439DF Tanker 74, Santa Barbara, June 19, 2006
Grumman S-2T Tracker N436DF Tanker 76, Santa Barbara, June 19, 2006
North American OV-10A Bronco N403DF, Santa Barbara, June 19, 2006
Grumman S-2T Tracker N439DF Tanker 74, Santa Barbara, June 25, 2006
McDonnell-Douglas DC-10-10 Tanker 911, Phoenix-Mesa Gateway, June 11, 2011
Put a copy of the CAL FIRE: 2020 Calendar in your Lulu.com shopping cart for $14.95.
You can buy a 2020 calendar featuring my photographs of Day Fire Tankers at Santa Barbara.
Aerial tankers fought the Day Fire from the Santa Barbara Air Attack Station for ten days, from Monday, September 18 to Wednesday September 27. Three Lockheed P-2 Neptunes and four Lockheed P-3 Orions visited the Air Attack Station during the fire. This calendar includes a dozen photos of those tankers:
Neptune Aviation Lockheed SP-2H Neptune, N4235T Tanker 09
Neptune Aviation Lockheed P2V-5F Neptune, N96264 Tanker 12
Neptune Aviation Lockheed P2V-5 Neptune, N1386C Tanker 44
Aero Union Lockheed P-3A-25 Orion, N920AU Tanker 20
Aero Union Lockheed P-3A-45 Orion, N921AU Tanker 21
Aero Union Lockheed P-3A-45 Orion, N922AU Tanker 22
Aero Union Lockheed P-3A-40 Orion, N925AU Tanker 25
Put a copy of the Day Fire Tankers at Santa Barbara: 2020 calendar in your Lulu.com shopping cart for $14.95.
You can buy a 2020 calendar featuring my photographs of Firefighting Helicopters.
A dozen photos of firefighting helicopters.
Santa Barbara County Fire Department Bell UH-1H Huey N205FD Tanker 309
Santa Barbara County Fire Department Bell UH-1H Huey N205KS Tanker 308
Era Aviation Bell 212 N508EH
Marine Corps Boeing-Vertol CH-46F Sea Knight BuNo 155315 Tanker 906
Marine Corps Boeing-Vertol CH-46F Sea Knight BuNo 156426 Tanker 904
Columbia Helicopters Kawasaki-Vertol KV107-11 N184CH
Siller Brothers Sikorsky S-61N N15456
Evergreen Sikorsky S-64E Skycrane N6979R Tanker 707
Helicopter Transport Services Sikorsky CH-54B Skycrane N720HT Tanker 720
Erickson Air Crane Sikorsky S64E Skycrane N247AC 744
Put a copy of the Firefighting Helicopters: 2020 calendar in your Lulu.com shopping cart for $14.95.
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