Uploaded September 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Firefighters are using every available resource to battle the rapidly growing Plaskett Fire, including two Super Scooper aircraft operating out of Lake San Antonio.
The planes were seen skimming the lake, filling their tanks with more than 1,500 gallons of water before dropping it along the fire line.
“They’re able to reload with water in somewhere in the neighborhood of 10 to 12 seconds by skimming the surface of the lake,” Josh Silvera, with CAL FIRE, said. “There are two big scoops that come down and inject that water into the tanks, and then they just take off again.”
The Plaskett Fire has grown rapidly over the past two days. It has burned approximately 28,968 acres and is now larger than the Timber Fire, which has burned nearly 29,000 acres.
Together, the fires have burned more than 54,000 acres in the Los Padres National Forest. Fire officials say the Plaskett Fire is now the second-largest fire in California so far this year.
The fire has also moved onto Fort Hunter Liggett property to the east. Officials say the military installation’s regularly burned impact ranges could help slow the fire’s spread.
“We really have an opportunity to stop that eastern spread of the Plaskett Fire because they’re constantly burning those impact ranges every spring,” Silvera said. “It’s just going to be a really advantageous place for us to be able to hold that fire.”
Both fires continue to burn in remote areas of the Los Padres National Forest.
On Tuesday, Monterey County supervisors ratified a local emergency declaration. The declaration could make additional funding and resources available for people affected by the fires.
“It opens up a wide range of things and resources that the county can use to help the people down there,” Nick Paculli, spokesperson for the County of Monterey, said. “Things like opening shelters, providing meals and providing other types of assistance, whether that be through services in the county.”
Command of the Timber and Plaskett fires also shifted Tuesday from a unified command to a split command structure.
Two separate incident management teams will now oversee the fires individually. Officials said the change will allow each team to focus more closely on the specific needs and challenges of its fire.
“It’s going to allow for more specialized and tailored command and control of each of those incidents,” Silvera said. “We’re able to put logistical resupply, firefighter needs, any of that command and control, much closer to each incident.”
Firefighters are using every available resource to battle the rapidly growing Plaskett Fire, including two Super Scooper aircraft operating out of Lake San Antonio.
The planes were seen skimming the lake, filling their tanks with more than 1,500 gallons of water before dropping it along the fire line.
“They’re able to reload with water in somewhere in the neighborhood of 10 to 12 seconds by skimming the surface of the lake,” Josh Silvera, with CAL FIRE, said. “There are two big scoops that come down and inject that water into the tanks, and then they just take off again.”
The Plaskett Fire has grown rapidly over the past two days. It has burned approximately 28,968 acres and is now larger than the Timber Fire, which has burned nearly 29,000 acres.
Together, the fires have burned more than 54,000 acres in the Los Padres National Forest. Fire officials say the Plaskett Fire is now the second-largest fire in California so far this year.
The fire has also moved onto Fort Hunter Liggett property to the east. Officials say the military installation’s regularly burned impact ranges could help slow the fire’s spread.
“We really have an opportunity to stop that eastern spread of the Plaskett Fire because they’re constantly burning those impact ranges every spring,” Silvera said. “It’s just going to be a really advantageous place for us to be able to hold that fire.”
Both fires continue to burn in remote areas of the Los Padres National Forest.
On Tuesday, Monterey County supervisors ratified a local emergency declaration. The declaration could make additional funding and resources available for people affected by the fires.
“It opens up a wide range of things and resources that the county can use to help the people down there,” Nick Paculli, spokesperson for the County of Monterey, said. “Things like opening shelters, providing meals and providing other types of assistance, whether that be through services in the county.”
Command of the Timber and Plaskett fires also shifted Tuesday from a unified command to a split command structure.
Two separate incident management teams will now oversee the fires individually. Officials said the change will allow each team to focus more closely on the specific needs and challenges of its fire.
“It’s going to allow for more specialized and tailored command and control of each of those incidents,” Silvera said. “We’re able to put logistical resupply, firefighter needs, any of that command and control, much closer to each incident.”
