OTAY MESA, Calif. (KGTV) — Throughout the morning Friday, Cal Fire has sent aircraft to aid in the fight against the Border 2 Fire. Many have repeatedly dipped into Otay Lake, preparing to drop that water onto the fire.
Cal Fire says it's a crucial tool fighting this fire, since it’s burning on the hilly and steep terrain of Otay Mountain.
Firefighters say these aerial attacks help fight fires in areas that are tough to access with resources like hand crews and bulldozers.
"In this steep rocky terrain, sometimes there are areas too steep for the bulldozers to work,” said Cal Fire Capt. Rob Johnson. “That's where the firefighting helicopters are a key tool in assisting in areas where maybe crews can't hike to.”
The helicopters move fast, touching down on the lake for less than a minute to grab up to a thousand gallons of water.
While some of it goes to the remote areas, crews tell ABC 10News they also mop up hot spots to stop the edges of the fire line from growing.
And as important as the aerial attacks are — they’re just one part of a coordinated effort against the Border 2 Fire.
"We will have additional crews on scene, continuing to build on those containment lines and extinguish hot spots in the perimeter,” said Johnson.
Cal Fire told ABC 10News they had just four helicopters on the scene early Friday morning. By midday, they had 10 helicopters along with several fixed-wing tankers.
They put more vehicles in the air at that time because only the Blackhawk helicopters were capable of flying at night.
