The 1,850-acre Horno fire on Camp Pendleton was declared fully contained Tuesday thanks in part to 44 air drops by a trio of Marine helicopters.
The UH-1Y Hueys from Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 469 attacked a ridgeline Sunday that was inaccessible by conventional, land-based firefighting equipment.
According to Capt. Marianne Sparklin, a pilot with the squadron, it took approximately three hours from the initial notification for the first Huey to take off.
“That is considered a pretty quick turnaround time considering the aircrews were recalled from all over San Diego and Orange County,” said Sparklin. “Within three hours, three full aircrews consisting of 12 people were in the squadron spaces preparing for launch. There were also an additional 20 maintenance service members recalled from various maintenance shops to assist in preflight operations.”
Once the Hueys were flying, it took just three hours to extinguish the fire in that area.
“Drops were made every three minutes once the aircraft developed a firefighting racetrack pattern, allowing us to extinguish the fire within three hours after the initial drop,” Sparklin said.