HOW FIREFIGHTING AEROPLANES WORK

Aerial firefighters are essential machines used to cover and contain rapid-spreading wildfires

- WORDS AILSA HARVEY

Wildfires can travel at speeds of over 14 miles an hour, escalating into large fiery furnaces that can be impossible to extinguish from the ground alone.

This is where firefighting planes come into play. These often low-flying vehicles target the areas of and around blazing fires, releasing a cloudy trail behind them. This trail is fire retardant, which sinks to the ground and stops the flames spreading. Fire retardant is usually ammonium phosphate or ammonium sulphate. These mineral salts coat the surrounding grass and other flammable vegetation to stop oxygen from reaching it, therefore reducing the fire's fuel source.