Oregon Guard Chinooks and Black Hawks Sustain Water Drops on Hagen Fire
Aircrews completed 44 water-bucket drops that day, delivering approximately 50,070 gallons of water, according to the Oregon National Guard.
OREGON — Two Oregon Army National Guard CH-47 Chinook helicopters and two HH-60M Black Hawk helicopters began water-bucket operations on July 29 in support of wildland firefighting on the Hagen Fire in Umatilla County.
The aircraft flew from Army Aviation Support Facility No. 2 in Pendleton after receiving a state active-duty activation order and completing joint reception, staging, onward movement and integration on July 28.
Aircrews completed 44 water-bucket drops that day, delivering approximately 50,070 gallons of water, according to the Oregon National Guard.
As of July 29 the Hagen Fire had burned approximately 33,504 acres and stood at 3 percent contained, according to the Oregon Department of Forestry. The National Interagency Fire Center listed the same acreage and containment figure in its July 31 situation report, noting active fire behavior with uphill runs, torching and spotting, plus threats to residences and energy infrastructure.
The activation layered the water-bucket mission onto an earlier state active-duty MEDEVAC HH-60M Black Hawk already supporting the Oregon Department of Forestry.
With the July 28 expansion, approximately 25 Oregon National Guard service members and five helicopters were assigned to the wildfire response under Ops Plan Smokey.
Coordination with the Oregon Department of Forestry and partner agencies included representatives from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection assisting with helicopter management.
Gina Miner, assistant area director for the Oregon Department of Forestry’s Eastern Oregon Area, stated that the National Guard aircraft are expected to continue supporting firefighting efforts as long as needed based on ground conditions.
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