>> reporter: there are 22 aircraft here to fight the fire. they stayed on the ground. tethered to the tarmac to keep from blowing away. air tactical commander telling me it's just too dangerous to fly. >> even down at ground level, the gusty winds, the downdrafts that we experience along the canyons and drainages, all affect the aircraft about the same. >> reporter: firefighters know under these conditions it is just too dangerous to fly with the heat and low altitudes that they operate under. in fact they say they have had a couple close calls. >> well, tankers were coming in a but an hour ago. in order for them to get out of the canyon and be able to get a safe departure route they had to go to full power and they were empty because of the bad winds. so it was very gusty. a lot of downdrafts. made it very dangerous. we shut off the air tankers. >> reporter: it is very frustrating for pilots who want to do their part but feel helpless. fighting fire from the air is already dangerous work. and no one wants to push the