Barn fire today

BUCKETOBOLTS

BUCKETOBOLTS

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Joined
May 4, 2005
Location
Faith, NC
I saw the Forestry Service Canadair flying today, the big yellow plane used to put out forest fires. I saw this story on news 14. Seems there was a barn fire in Fuquay-Varina. Anyone over that way get to see the load dropping?
 
The CL-215 is quite a sight to see operate, especially when it comes through making a pass or two over the lake blowing an air horn and turning a siren loose to warn boaters it's about to take a drink. The barn is the one used to store straw and hay for nurseries and for animal feed, so I hear, but I thought it was just for straw. Anyway, a call went out on the local fire freqs about 6 today for all local volunteers who wanna play "relief personnel" to report to their respective stations for assignment.
 
radioman said:
The CL-215 is quite a sight to see operate, especially when it comes through making a pass or two over the lake blowing an air horn and turning a siren loose to warn boaters it's about to take a drink.
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that would be sweet to see.
 
Yeah, I heard about the fire on the radio today, said it was really getting outta hand due to the wind and all, Is cool they used the FS to use the "Super Scooper", wish I could have seen it in action.

Kevin
 
That is so strange! I was in Hickory today observing a PE class outside when this thing flew over. It must have been about 1 PM or so. Both teachers knew what it was. I was kind of wondering why it was in the air. I guess now I know! That would have been sweet to see it drop!
 
radioman said:
Anyway, a call went out on the local fire freqs about 6 today for all local volunteers who wanna play "relief personnel" to report to their respective stations for assignment.
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They didnt do that here, or if they did my pager didnt go off. four departments from the county were called out initially though.

Duane
 
It was on the Wake system, and though I didn't hear the initial dispatch, I've kinda kept track of it for the duration. I have an 800 mhz radio on the VIPER system which allows me to monitor certain Wake freqs from the Winston-Salem area, and I've been snooping from time to time since I caught some traffic regarding it that alerted me to it.
 
I saw the plane a couple of years ago at the air show in Winston. It's a huge plane! Its taller than a C130 and kind of short and stumpy looking. We were leaving when they began to taxi for their demo. Hate I missed it.
 
During the big fires in the Linville Gorge about 4 years ago I got to see it dipping out of Lake James. Seemed like only a split second to fill it's belly and then it's gone.
 
I got to go in it at the Hickory airshow a few years back. cool plane. the two scops that are used to fill in seem to small. but thay can fill the tanks in secands.
 
There was a big woods fire here a couple of years ago. It was a mile or so from my house so I wasn't to concerned about it. I was installing a radio in my dually when that big yaller n red thing come over my house about 200 foot off the ground. Not realising what it was at first I thought the dang thing was going to crash in the field over the next hill. I started to run in the house to call 911 when I seen it pull up after dropping the water. Liked to scared the crap out of me!
 
I have a nice pic of it in action on my home pc.
If someone will post it I will send it to you, pm me.
 
Like this?
 

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We were wakeboarding on lake james once years ago and one of them did a touch and go right fawking next to us refilling I assumed. Definately pretty cool.
 
When I lived in Daytona they used to come scoop out of the intercoastel right in front of us, pretty cool. Only got to see them drop the load one time though. I guess it'd feel like someone dropped a swimming pool on you if it hit ya, it was a newer one with the turboprops instead of the radials.
 
drop

Its not that bad. We drop 3000 gallons at a time, have not killed anyone or destroyed any buildings that I know of.
 
There's now a company in AZ converting older Boeing 747s for fire service duty, and the fed and several contract firefighting concerns have them. They're capable of 24,000 gal pressurized drops, but they can't scoop, obviously. Prolly not much need for those in this area, but after working some of the fires out west as helitac crew, I can tell ya that what you see there makes our mountain and foothill fires pale by comparison. And then there are the Florida swamp/urban interface fires that'll make you wish for a good ol' Carolina sandhills/coastal fire in a pine plantation. Coulda used 24,000 gallons in one shot several times in those Florida cases.
 
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