‘A nightmare’: Ligonier native takes to skies to battle Los Angeles fires
Courtesy of RK Smithley
Capt. RK Smithley, in the cockpit of his DC-10 Air Tanker, drops fire retardant to slow the wildfires in Los Angeles.
Courtesy of RK Smithley
A view of the fire redardant drop that Capt. RK Smithley and other aerial firefighters completed at about 1 p.m. on Jan. 11, 2025. Many of the around 1,000 houses in the Mandeville Canyon area were painted red with the retardant in an attempt to save them.
Courtesy of RK Smithley
On the morning of Jan. 10, 2025, Capt. RK Smithley took a photo from the cockpit of his air tanker as flight crews were preparing for departure on their first fire mission to the Pacific Palisades in California.
Courtesy of RK Smithley
10 Tanker’s DC-10 Air Tankers were used to combat the Los Angeles wildfires. Tanker 912 is pictured, waiting to get fire retardant loaded on Jan. 11, 2025 at the San Bernadino base.
Courtesy of RK Smithley
One of the earlier images of the Los Angeles wildfires taken from Capt. RK Smithley’s air tanker, inbound from the northeast when he was assuming fire operations.
