The fire on Somervell County’s Chalk Mountain was more than 90% contained as of Tuesday, in large part to thousands of pounds of fire retardant via aircraft.
To combat the fire, a plane similar to a commercial airliner flew low over the burning area, dropping massive amounts of chemical retardant. The airplane was an MD-87 flown by the Oregon-based Erickson Aero Tanker.
MD-87 aircraft were mid-size passenger jets manufactured by McDonnell Douglas from 1985 to 1992. A shortened-fuselage variant of the MD-80 series, the MD-87 (named for its planned launch year) can seat between 109 or 130 passengers, depending on its interior configuration.
General Manager Matt Isley stated Erickson owns six MD-87 aircraft. Four were covered by agreements for “exclusive usage” with the U.S. Forest Service. Additionally, California and Oregon have had aircraft contracts with Erickson.
Each Erickson crew comprised a pilot and co-pilot, a crew chief, and a mechanic. The mechanic frequently stayed at the base for any required maintenance.
To convert the MD-87 for firefighting, Erickson, like other air tanker companies, needed to get what is known as a supplemental type certificate, or STC, from the Federal Aviation Administration.
Isley explained that after Erickson secured a contract, such as with the Texas A&M Forest Service, the company would fly its aircraft to a base close to the fire and respond as required.
The efforts came together to carry out a tricky operation of dropping 3,000 gallons of retardant, i.e., 27,000 pounds, over the blazing fire in a matter of three seconds.
The fire that started on July 18 tripled in size seemingly overnight, soon after it first began, growing to 4,000 acres very quickly. By August 2, it had spread over 6,750 acres but was 93% contained.
Meanwhile, the Texas A&M Forest Service crew has continued working to contain the fire on the ground.