VLAT Supports firefighting efforts on 10 Mile Canyon Fire

 

Thursday afternoon, a Very Large Airtanker (called a VLAT) carrying about 12,000 gallons of retardant helped firefighters on the 10-Mile Fire keep the fire from moving to the Lower Deschutes River. These tankers are often DC-10 airplanes - the size of a large commercial airliner - and carry about four times the amount of retardant as the typical heavy airtanker. In this run, the tanker only dropped about half of his load.