VIDEO: Western Colorado’s skies are unusually busy this week, as dozens of firefighting aircraft work to slow the spread of multiple large wildfires. Flight path data shows a dense network of airplanes and helicopters crisscrossing the Western Slope, including 14 air tankers and 26 helicopters. Those aircraft are performing surveillance and dropping water and retardant on fires like the Turner Gulch and Lee fires, where thick smoke has obscured Colorado’s normally blue skies.
“I have never personally seen this many airplanes in Colorado,” said Don Jorgensen, an airtanker pilot with CO Fire Aviation Tanker 860. His flight path looped repeatedly south of Grand Junction as he dropped 800-gallon loads of retardant on the Turner Gulch fire multiple times. Jorgensen said the coordination is constant in the air, with “air attack” crews directing drops and keeping in contact with firefighters on the ground. “Typically, you wouldn’t see this many airplanes or helicopters in the region,” he said, “It is really neat to see, especially from the air, watching the others drop.”
The firefighting fleet includes federal, state, and National Guard aircraft, as well as a modified Air Force C-130 making retardant drops. In all, 41 aircraft are assisting with the response, part of a statewide firefighting effort involving 2,395 personnel on nine large fires that have burned more than 185,000 acres. Despite the demanding pace and challenging conditions — with high winds, triple-digit heat and single-digit humidity — Jorgensen said he enjoys the work and camaraderie. “You get on the ground, you talk to other people while they’re flying it, and it’s neat to hear their stories and what they saw, and how they were able to save a house coming through,” Jorgensen said. “That’s why I do it.”
