The helicopters are required in the fight because there are too many fires across the state to battle entirely from land, Harrell said. And the crash highlights how dangerous the job can be. The pilot was fighting the Water Tower Fire in Lee County. The helicopters are fitted with a canvas bucket on a tether that they dip into a pond or reservoir. As they fly over a fire, they release up to 340 gallons of water.
Drought conditions continue to add to the danger.
The drought index is at 700, on a scale of 800 and authorities have banned fireworks leading up to Fourth of July celebrations. In the West, hot, dry conditions have fueled wildfires in several states. In New Mexico, firefighters continue to battle more than 40,000 acres of fires and the Los Alamos fire remains only 98 percent contained after destroying 47,650 acres and more than 200 homes. In Arizona, an 11,000-acre fire in the Kaibab National Forest was 75 percent contained by Monday morning. Authorities said the steep rugged terrain has made part of the fire impossible to reach, but natural barriers and fire lines now ring the blaze.