Colorado Military Plane to Help Fight Northwest Fires

PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. (AP) — A military firefighting plane from Colorado will help battle wildfires burning in the Pacific Northwest. A C-130 cargo plane from Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs was sent to Boise, Idaho on Wednesday.

It will replace a C-130 from the North Carolina Air National Guard that's returning home. Another C-130 from the Wyoming Air National Guard has also been fighting fires in the Northwest and will remain in Boise.

The military has a total of eight C-130s in four states that are equipped with a large device called the Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System, or MAFFS. They can drop 3,000 gallons of water or fire retardant in less than five seconds. They can only be used when all other contracted firefighting aircraft are busy.