Many helicopters, firebombers and their crews were fighting the deadly Esparanza fire.

This machine was doing some long-lining with a 100 foot line. He had just done a hot re-fuelling and left, dragging the line to the worksite somewhere in the area. 60 of the type were manufactured over a period of 30 years and production ended in January 2023.

This Bell 212, N212TH, was operated for many years by Petroleum Helicopters, Inc supporting offshore oil and gas platforms in the Gulf of Mexico and from Santa Barbara, California while registered N1082G. It's now registered as N212TH to Cougar Aviation and primarily used for forest firefighting. Cougar Aviation and Rogers Helicopters have maintenance hangars next door to each other at Fresno Airport and are probably affiliated companies.

After refuelling at Banning this nice heli is on its way up into the mountains to fight the deadly Esperanza fire.

Fighting the deadly Esperanza fire.

On its way to fight the deadly Esperanza fire, this helicopter can drop 960 gallons of fire retardant or water in one pass.

This helicopter is more than 50 years old and still going strong, fighting the deadly Esperanza fire.

Pacific Helicopter is based in Kahului, Maui, Hawaii. They deployed this heli to Banning to help fight the deadly Esperanza fire.

Crash landed Hayward, California, on April 13, 1958. Tail used in rebuild of N51PR c/n 103-26778. Photo from: Civil Aviation Historical Society, Melbourne, Australia