US military planes fly 60 firefighting runs in TX, Mexico

Associated Press
Posted: 04/20/2011 12:48:31 PM MDT

PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. (AP) - Six specially equipped U.S. military planes have flown 60 missions to help fight wildfires in Mexico and Texas.
The U.S. Northern Command said Wednesday that C-130 cargo planes have flown 28 missions in Mexico and dropped about 63,000 gallons of retardant there.

The planes have flown 32 missions in Texas, dropping 90,000 gallons of retardant.

Northern Command is based at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado. It sent the planes at the request of the government of Mexico and firefighters in Texas.

Two of the planes are from an Air Force Reserve unit at Peterson and the others are from Air National Guard units in California, North Carolina and Wyoming.

They are flying their missions from Laughlin and Dyess Air Force bases in Texas.

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