Massachusetts State Police Air Wing fights Deerfield forest fire

“Last Thursday we reported on our Air Wing’s assistance, by making numerous water drops, in suppressing a forest fire that was encroaching on some houses in the town of Deerfield. But for two of our flight crews, the work wasn’t done after that.

Around 5:25 p.m. Thursday, as MSP helicopters Air 1 and Air 2 were en route from western Massachusetts to their Plymouth base after assuring in the Bambi bucket operations in Deerfield, the crews observed another forest fire in Norton, close to the Mansfield Municipal Airport. Thick smoke and flames were visible.

The MSP Air Wing established communications with Norton Police and Fire. By that time firefighters had been working at the scene for more than an hour.

Air Wing Troopers offered assistance and began procedures for aerial firefighting operations (seen the accompanying photos). By 6:40 p.m. the MSP flight crews began dropping water on the fire. The water drops continued for approximately one hour, at which point the fire was under control and nearly extinguished. Both crews returned safely to Plymouth following the day’s second successful cooperative firefighting effort between multiple agencies.”