Retired Coast Guard helicopter commander details risks to air crews fighting LA fires

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As deadly wildfires spread and thousands of Los Angeles County residents flee for their lives, there are brave Americans who are going toward the danger to fight the flames.

John Mixson, a retired U.S. Coast Guard helicopter search and rescue aircraft commander, knows the risks posed to the crew members battling the fires. Crews resumed flights Wednesday after being grounded since Tuesday evening.

“There’s several different hazards involved that’s unique to the operation that they do,” Mixson told Fox News Digital. “One of the most apparent ones is the low altitude above hilly terrain in high wind conditions, which is what they’re battling now.”

Air crews working to contain the wildfires are grappling with several obstacles as well. Mixson pointed out that through the smoke these crews must also avoid other aircraft, terrain and everyday hazards such as radio towers.

LIVE UPDATES: CALIFORNIA WILDFIRES DEVASTATE LOS ANGELES COUNTY, KILLING 5 AND THREATENING THOUSANDS OF HOMES

Fires burn in the Hollywood Hills area of Los Angeles on Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025. (Jill Connelly/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

In addition to the stressful conditions, operators in firefighting aircraft also have to handle populated areas carefully. This means navigating how to put out the blaze while dealing with not only “personal property, but personnel and life.”

Fire personnel respond to homes destroyed while a helicopter drops water on the Palisades Fire in California on Jan. 7, 2025. (David Swanson/AFP via Getty Images)

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Despite the high stress of the job, which Mixson admits is “challenging and very hazardous,” he expressed confidence in those who are fighting the devastating fires.

“The crews that do it are all extremely, extremely highly trained specifically for the specialized mission,” Mixson said. “This isn’t a secondary mission for the Cal Fire folks or any of the DoD or Forest Service firefighting folks. Just like the U.S. Coast Guard, they are very, very specialized in what they do. It is very, very hazardous, it’s very challenging. But they’re also very, very highly trained, uniquely to the specific task.”

A firefighting aircraft drops fire retardant Phos-Chek as the Palisades Fire burns amid a powerful windstorm on Jan. 7, 2025, in Pacific Palisades, California. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)

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The wildfires devastating Los Angeles County have left five dead and forced thousands to flee their homes. LA Mayor Karen Bass and California Gov. Gavin Newsom are facing increasing criticism for their response to the disaster. Bass, in particular, has faced backlash not only for being out of the country when the fires began, but for slashing her city’s fire department’s budget by $17 million.

On Thursday, LA County Fire Department Chief Anthony Marrone announced that the growth of the Eaton Fire had been “significantly stopped.” The wildfires burned over 29,000 acres as of midday Thursday, according to Cal Fire.

FOLLOW THE CALIFORNIA WILDFIRES LIVE HERE

Rachel Wolf is a breaking news writer for Fox News Digital and FOX Business.

Related Topics

• Wildfire
• California
• Coast Guard
• Los Angeles
• Fire Disasters