1600 Gallons Water At 350 Kmph in 12 Seconds: How 'Super Scoopers' Are Turning The Tide in US Wildfire Battles

California Wildfires: As wildfires wreak havoc in southern California, claiming lives and destroying cherished homes, specialized Canadian aircraft known as Super Scoopers have been deployed to aid firefighting efforts. Designed specifically to battle forest fires, the CL-415 amphibious aircraft can scoop water, mix it with foam when required, and spray it directly onto the flames.  

Super Scoopers in Action: Battling US Wildfires

The Los Angeles County Fire Department has leased two Super Scoopers from the Quebec government on a 30-year agreement. However, only one of these firefighting aircraft is currently operational, as the other was grounded after a collision with an illegal drone during a firefighting mission.

According to an AFP report, the impact left a "fist-sized" dent in the aircraft. The pilots, unaware of the incident at the time, landed safely, Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone confirmed. The damaged Super Scooper is now undergoing repairs and may return to service once restored.

SOPFEU, a Canadian nonprofit working alongside the Quebec government to provide the Super Scoopers, has announced plans to send two additional CL-415 aircraft to Los Angeles to support ongoing wildfire combat efforts, as reported by The Washington Post.

Why Super Scoopers Outperform Air Tankers

A Washington Post report highlights why Super Scoopers are more efficient than helicopters equipped with buckets or traditional air tankers. These aircraft can carry up to 1,600 gallons of water in a single trip—far more than what helicopters can manage.

Unlike air tankers, which must land to refill, Super Scoopers can replenish their tanks by skimming water from nearby lakes or reservoirs at speeds of around 160 km/h. This rapid refill capability enables them to quickly return to the fight against spreading wildfires.

How Super Scoopers Operate

Super Scoopers have an impressive wingspan of 93 feet and measure 65 feet in length. They are equipped with a system that can mix water with foam concentrate to enhance firefighting effectiveness. To refill their tanks, pilots fly the aircraft low over a water body, skimming its surface to scoop water through a probe. The process takes just 12 seconds to fill the tank completely. Alternatively, hoses can be used for refilling when necessary.

Once loaded, the Super Scoopers can fly to wildfire zones at speeds of up to 350 km/h. Pilots can either release all the water in a single drop or use four sequential doors to spread it over a larger area, providing greater coverage. These features make Super Scoopers an invaluable resource in the fight against wildfires.

LA Fire

After making some progress battling wildfires that destroyed thousands of homes and killed at least 24 people in the Los Angeles area, firefighters prepared for a return of dangerous winds that could again stoke the flames.

The relative calm Sunday allowed some people to return to previously evacuated areas. But even as containment increased in the worst of the fires, more bad news emerged from the ashes: The death toll surged late Sunday with an update from the Los Angeles County medical examiner. At least 16 people were missing, a number authorities said was also likely to rise.

And the forecast was worrying. The National Weather Service issued a rare warning of a “particularly dangerous situation,” beginning overnight Monday into Tuesday.

It predicted severe fire conditions through Wednesday, with sustained winds of up to 40 mph (64 kph) and gusts in the mountains reaching 70 mph (113 kph). The most dangerous day will be Tuesday, warned fire behavior analyst Dennis Burns at a community meeting Sunday night.

Fierce Santa Ana winds have been largely blamed for turning the wildfires sparked last week into infernos that leveled entire neighborhoods around the nation's second-largest city where there has been no significant rainfall in more than eight months.

In all, four fires have consumed more than 62 square miles (160 square kilometers), an area larger than San Francisco. The Eaton Fire near Pasadena and the Palisades Fire, in a wealthy enclave along the Pacific Coast, alone accounted for 59 square miles (nearly 153 square kilometers). They each gained some containment over the weekend.

Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony C. Marrone said 70 additional water trucks arrived to help firefighters fend off flames spread by renewed gusts. “We are prepared for the upcoming wind event,” Marrone said.

Fire retardant dropped by aircraft will act as a barrier along hillsides, officials said.

Residents check on their homes

Some residents have been able to return to their homes to survey the damage.  Jim Orlandini, who lost his hardware store in Altadena, a hard-hit neighborhood next to Pasadena, said his home of 40 years survived.

“Tuesday night we didn’t sleep at all because we figured the house was gone,” he said Sunday as he recalled the moment the fires spread to his neighborhood.

“The whole time I was thinking, I don’t know what I’m going to find when I get back here and after 40 years, you know, you got a lot of stuff you forget about that would disappear if the house burned down. So we’re thankful that it didn’t.”

Sixteen of the 24 deaths were attributed to the Eaton Fire and eight to the Palisades Fire, according to the Los Angeles County coroner’s office.

Twelve people were missing within the Eaton Fire zone and four were missing from the Palisades Fire, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said. Investigators were trying to figure out if some of the missing might be among the dead.

The toll could rise as cadaver dogs conducted systematic searches in leveled neighborhoods. Authorities established a center where people could report the missing.

Officials were also building an online database to allow evacuated residents to see if their homes were damaged or destroyed. In the meantime, LA city Fire Chief Kristin Crowley urged people to stay away from scorched neighborhoods.

“There are still active fires that are burning within the Palisades area, making it extremely, extremely dangerous for the public," Crowley said at a Sunday morning briefing. “There’s no power, there’s no water, there’s broken gas lines, and we have unstable structures.”

Officials warned the ash can contain lead, arsenic, asbestos and other harmful materials.

About 150,000 people in Los Angeles County remained under evacuation orders, with more than 700 residents taking refuge in nine shelters, Luna said. Officials said most of the orders in the Palisades area were unlikely to be lifted before the red flag warnings expire Wednesday evening.

“Please rest assured that first thing Thursday we will begin talking about repopulation,” Marrone said.

Firefighters continue to battle flames

Crews from California and nine other states are part of the ongoing response that includes nearly 1,400 fire engines, 84 aircraft and more than 14,000 personnel, including newly arrived firefighters from Mexico.

After a fierce battle Saturday, firefighters managed to fight back flames in Mandeville Canyon, home to Arnold Schwarzenegger and other celebrities near Pacific Palisades not far from the coast, where swooping helicopters dumped water as the blaze charged downhill.

The fire ran through chaparral-covered hillsides and also briefly threatened to jump over Interstate 405 and into densely populated areas in the Hollywood Hills and San Fernando Valley.

Arrests for looting

Looting continued to be a concern, with authorities reporting more arrests as the devastation grew. Those arrested included two people who posed as firefighters going into houses, Los Angeles Police Department Capt. Michael Lorenz said.

With California National Guard troops on hand to guard properties, Gov. Gavin Newsom posted on X: “California will NOT allow for looting.”

Historic cost

The fires that began Tuesday just north of downtown LA had burned more than 12,000 structures. No cause for the largest fires was determined.

Early estimates suggest they could be the nation's costliest ever, as much as $150 billion according to an AccuWeather estimate.

Inmate firefighters on the front lines

Along with crews from other states and Mexico, hundreds of inmates from California’s prison system were also helping fight the fires. Nearly 950 prison firefighters were removing timber and brush ahead of the fires to slow their spread, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

The practice is controversial as the inmates are paid little for dangerous and difficult work: $10.24 each day, with more for 24-hour shifts, according to the corrections department.

Rebuilding will be a challenge

Newsom issued an executive order Sunday aimed at fast-tracking rebuilding by suspending some environmental regulations and ensuring that property tax assessments were not increased.

“We’ve got to let people know that we have their back,” he said. “We want you to come back, rebuild, and rebuild with higher quality building standards, more modern standards."

More than 24,000 people had registered for federal assistance made available by a major disaster declaration by President Joe Biden, according to the White House. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said Sunday that she had spoken with President-elect Donald Trump's incoming administration and expected that he would visit the city.