El Toro air station gets second wind as helicopter base during wildfires
A Siller Helicopters’ Sikorsky CH-54A Skycrane lands after water drops on the Silverado-Blue Ridge Fires at former MCAS El Toro Oct. 27, 2020.
(Damon J. Duran)
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Helicopter crews are once again flying into former Marine Corps Air Station El Toro. Rather than training for war, aircraft take on fuel and water to defend Orange County residents from another threat wildfires.
Since at least 2017, the Orange County Fire Authority has used a stretch of runway as an emergency aviation base to refill as many as 15 helicopters with fuel and water closer to fire lines in South County.