The wildfires that have been raging through Los Angeles have brought so much distress and misery, that our hearts go out to all those affected. Many, including famous celebrities, have seen their homes burned to the ground. But a clip on Reddit of a NBC News bulletin shows that firefighters are working round the clock to battle the infernos, and some are really good at the job.
The remarkable clip shows a helicopter expertly dropping its payload of water on a raging Los Angeles wildfire. According to NBC, the clip is from 4am local time on Thursday morning. In the early hours of the morning, a helicopter flies over a fire raging on the leafy side of the Hollywood Hills. It empties its water on the flames, immediately dousing a huge swathe of the wildfire. The hillside literally turns from a huge orange blaze to just a small patch of fire in seconds.
It’s not uncommon to see helicopters dropping water on wildfires, since ground conditions are obviously so hazardous, and access can be difficult. It’s rare, however, to see one that has such an immediate, tangible impact on the flames. As one Redditor put it, “That’s the most bullseye one I’ve ever seen!“
Presumably, it’s somewhat easier for the pilot to align their flightpath in the dark when the Los Angeles wildfire flames clearly stand out against the surrounding landscape. On the other hand, flight must be a great deal more dangerous, not least with the thick smoke that we’ve seen in other footage.
Some in the Reddit thread believe that it’s an aircraft making the drop rather than a helicopter. Either way, the pilot’s skill and bravery is extremely impressive. As a commenter put it, “These guys are true heroes.” We couldn’t agree more given their efforts during these terrifying Los Angeles wildfires.
We can only hope that the winds die down and the firefighting effort starts to bear fruit and the fires can be contained. The strong winds are certainly making that much more difficult. As the presenter says in the clip, it’s possible that we won’t see significant improvement until conditions change “early Friday morning.” Hopefully everyone can keep safe until the nightmare is over.
