New 747 Supertanker put to work in Calif.

By KOMO Staff Published: Sep 1, 2009 at 1:14 PM PDT Last Updated: Sep 1, 2009 at 2:41 PM PDT
New 747 Supertanker put to work in Calif.
A 747 jumbo jet converted to an air tanker drops fire retardant as the Station fire burns in the hills above Acton, Calif. on Monday, Aug. 31, 2009.
LOS ANGELES -- Fire bosses in Southern California are bringing out the heavy equipment as they battle to put out a massive 105,000-acre wildfire.


A huge, new Boeing 747 Supertanker aircraft arrived in the area to drop flame retardant on the burgeoning fire.

The plane, developed by Oregon-based Evergreen International Aviation, can carry 20,000 gallons of water or flame retardant, which is more than eight times the capacity of planes currently being flown.

Monday, the Supertanker dropped in and laid a huge line of retardant, then looped around and dropped another line in the same location, making that line wide enough to stop the fire if it gets to that point.

Evergreen, which has supplied firefighting aircraft for decades, spent $50 million to develop the plane. In addition to its expanded capacity, the jet can fly 600 mph -- twice as fast as any tanker currently used.

The company also says the aircraft has a pressurized system that can disperse water at a high pressure or at the speed of falling rain, making it safe for low-visibility, nighttime runs.