Researchers question whether aerial tankers help fight wildfires

July 10, 2015

Firefighters increasingly turn to air tankers for help, but the strategy’s effectiveness hasn’t been studied

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Researchers question whether aerial tankers help fight wildfires

As the fierce heatwave and drought continue to break temperature records in the West, forecasters warn this wildfire season started earlier and may last longer than usual. In the face of that challenge, firefighters are increasingly looking skyward – to large, expensive air tankers – for help to tame the flames. But as Joie Chen reports in this excerpt from America Tonight, after decades of aerial firefighting, there are doubts that the strategy actually works.


 

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