A portable air tanker base, capable of handling the large airplanes that drop fire retardant on wildfires, will be coming to Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. State Rep. John Cyrier, R-Lockhart, says the move to establish the base follows a key recommendation from the Lost Pines Property Owners Fire Protection Task Force, a citizen committee affected by the Hidden Pines fire.
The armada of air tankers -- or DC-10s -- can lay a swath of red fire retardant a mile long and 300 feet wide onto a fire below.
"It can definitely make a difference, we use those to get ahead of what we can't get to," said Captain Robert Ortiz with the Pflugerville Fire Department.
The state previously had only one portable air tanker base, located in Abilene, capable of supporting the large tankers during wildfire events, forcing the state to rely on air bases as far away as Tennessee and Arizona.
"This tanker base represents a monumental advancement in wildfire preparedness for our area," said Rep. Cyrier, whose district was hit hard by both the 2015 Hidden Pines fire and the 2011 Bastrop Complex fire, together burning 39,000 acres and destroying more than 1,700 homes.