Helicopter Bombs Blazing Hillside as Wildfire Rages in Mendocino

A firefighting helicopter dumped water onto a burning, timbered hillside in Northern California as crews battled to hold the Cooley Fire.

Footage released by CAL FIRE Mendocino Unit shows flames and smoke climbing through trees on a steep slope before a twin-rotor helicopter swoops in low and releases its load directly onto the fire.

The Cooley Fire broke out at about 5:05 p.m. on October 16 near Elkhorn Road and Cooley Ranch Road, west of Cloverdale, and had burned 1,365 acres by October 19. CAL FIRE said steep, rugged terrain and a sparse road network have hampered ground crews, while a thermal inversion trapping heavy smoke at about 1,000 feet forced pilots to wait for visibility to improve before flying.

By October 19, aircraft had dropped 216,600 gallons of water and 297,510 gallons of retardant on the fire, and it was 45% contained. No structures had been reported damaged or destroyed, and the cause is under investigation.