With close to 600 firefighters attacking the Jones Fire on the ground, a critical piece of support has come from just a few aircraft from above. The CAL FIRE Grass Valley Air Attack Base has had resources on the fire since first light on day one. Battalion Chief David Krussow says the close proximity to the fire is extremely beneficial.

Krussow says the amount of retardant that was dropped on the Jones Fire in the first 48 hours was at or near record levels.

The Chief says the total amount dropped on Monday and Tuesday was greater than the amount dropped all of last fire season. Each tanker carries 1200 gallons of retardant.
Krussow says the movement of the tankers and air attack planes is impressive in the air, but the crew on the ground is also choreographed.

Krussow is very proud of his team of pilots and firefighters. He says pilots are some of the best in the world.

The Grass Valley Air Attack Base also houses aircraft and airattack for the Tahoe National Forest.