Calif. fire hit with record amount of retardant

Source: AP-Excite

RAQUEL MARIA DILLION and GILLIAN FLACCUS

PLACERVILLE, Calif. (AP) — Firefighters are dropping record-breaking amounts of retardants on a massive Northern California wildfire that is burning explosively because of the prolonged drought.

California firefighters and the U.S. Forest Service together had bombarded the conflagration with more than a half-million gallons of retardant, fire spokeswoman Lynne Tolmachoff said Friday. That included more than 203,000 gallons in a single day.

Retardant — a water-and-fertilizer mix colored with red dye — are used as an initial attack tool on wildfires to buy time for crews to get to the scene and dig fire lines.

But the fire activity is so extreme it's pushing through their lines.

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Jose Tapia and his wife, Chela Tapia look for his wedding ring and items that belonged to her mother Thursday, Sept. 18, 2014, in the ashes of their home in the Angel Valley neighborhood in Weed, Calif. The home was destroyed in the Boles Fire. (AP Photo/The Record Searchlight, Andreas Fuhrmann)


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