One of the major market trends identified in the report was the rise of autonomous aerial firefighting technology, including the autonomous MK2 developed by California-based company Rain. The autonomous helicopter is reportedly designed to transport around 30 gallons of payload to a fire and can perform all standard helicopter flight phases controlled by a remote operator.

The plane went missing around 7 p.m. while working a lightning start near the Falls Fire. The Grant County Sheriff’s Office and Falls Fire personnel immediately began a search and the Oregon National Guard searched overnight without success. Grant County Search and Rescue on Friday joined the search.  KGW-TV said the SEAT was flying out of Burns, about 45 miles from Seneca via US-395. The Falls Fire’s about 25 miles south of John Day.

A similar helicopter from Lockheed Martin was recently demonstrated to an audience of NASA, FEMA, and wildland firefighting officials. The company claimed the aircraft could be commanded solely on a tablet from 300 miles away and extinguish fires as small as 12 inches in diameter.

List of firefighting aircraft

Strong afternoon winds together with extremely dry fuels increased fire behavior on the Telephone Fire, and several new starts were identified east of the Falls Fire in the Parasol Butte area. Evacuation levels were announced and extended in response to the new starts and the Telephone Fire’s move across FSR 28.

An early report by KOIN-TV indicated crews were searching for a lost airtanker that disappeared late Thursday. The BLM-contracted SEAT went missing while fighting a lightning-started fire near Seneca, Oregon. The Central Oregon Daily News said the pilot was en route to a spot fire near the the Falls Fire and was killed in the crash. The BLM confirmed that the wreckage was found and the pilot’s body recovered; the pilot’s identity has not been released.

Six of the past seven years have been among the most extreme wildfire years on record, according to research from Australia’s University of Tasmania. The frequency of extreme wildfire events has also more than doubled between 2003 and 2023.

Another market driver the report found is rising global urbanization. The World Bank reported around 56% of the world’s total population lives in urban areas as of 2023, and the global urban population is expected to reach 6 billion by 2045. This, coupled with the forecast surge in the number of wildfires, is expected to drive the growth of the firefighting aircraft market.

The fire was human-caused and is under investigation. Investigators ask for the public’s assistance with any tips or information about the start of the Falls Fire on the Malheur. Please email tips to    SM****************@us**.gov

Crews responded along with aerial resources, and structure protection crews mobilized and responded to the area. The Telephone Fire has grown 3,000 acres and moved farther southeast overnight; it’s now about 4 miles north of Hwy 20. Smoky conditions are expected to continue; an inversion layer sits over the fire but may lift by early afternoon. Temperatures have been in the mid-80s.

Firefighting aircraft types

The four fires along Colorado’s Front Range have burned thousands of acres, killed one person, and destroyed at least six buildings. As of Wednesday night, they’d evacuated thousands of people and burned over 9,500 acres.

The region with the largest share of the firefighting aircraft market was reportedly Asia-Pacific, but North America is expected to be the fastest-growing region over the coming years.

Some scientists, however, are skeptical of just how useful autonomous technology would be to the wildland firefighting force at large. Neil Sahota, an inventor who advises the United Nations on artificial intelligence issues, told Scientific American doubts communities would be willing to pay more than six figures for robots designed for very specific needs, especially for those that still struggle with mobility.

An audience of NASA, FEMA, and wildland firefighting officials recently witnessed the wildfire suppression capabilities of a reportedly “autonomous” Black Hawk helicopter.

Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company, partnered with autonomous aerial wildfire containment developer Rain to demonstrate the takeoff, wildfire identification, and water-drop accuracy capabilities of the helicopter.

Fire planeflying

Fire planeprice

“The economies of scale aren’t quite the same as [for] mass manufacturing,” he said. “We don’t have enough firefighters as it is … With climate change, we’re already at the breaking point.”

The Alaska Complex IMT 1 assumed command of the Falls and Telephone fires at 6:00 am Friday and is in unified command with the Oregon State Fire Marshal (OSFM). Their thorough update for today is posted online [HERE] but includes no mention of the crash or the search for the missing SEAT. The Harney County Sheriff’s evacuation map is [HERE] and  the Grant County Emergency Management wildfire info page is [HERE].

The wildland firefighting community in Oregon and beyond mourns the loss of one of their own. The Grant County Sheriff in eastern Oregon confirmed that SEAT pilot James Bailey Maxwell, 74, was killed while working near the Falls Fire near Seneca on the Malheur National Forest on July 25, 2024.

Fire Plane5e

The BLM said Maxwell had dropped retardant on the Parasol Fire north of the Falls Fire and was returning to the base at Burns to reload. He disappeared just before 7:00 p.m. Thursday. Owned and operated by North Dakota-based Aerial Timber Applicators, the aircraft was reported missing and triggered a search by numerous agencies including a night-flying helicopter with the Oregon National Guard.

A worrying trend for the world’s living beings is seemingly an economic opportunity for the global firefighting aircraft market, a new report from the Business Research Company said.

Tim Russell sent us this photo of the State of Colorado Firehawk after collecting water from Chatfield Reservoir, with a CL-415 scooping in the background.

Threatened property includes 377 homes, 118 commercial buildings, and nearly 700 outbuildings. Resources include 38 crews, 79 engines, 24 dozers, 25 watertenders, plus helicopters and SEATs, for a total of 1560 personnel.

“We understand the pressures facing our wildland firefighting workforce, as wildfires rage all across the western United States and continue to threaten many of our communities,” the lawmakers wrote in a letter [PDF] to headquarters. “Existing resources are stretched thin to meet those demands … Time is of the essence to save lives and homes.”

“The MATRIX system is unique because it’s not a simple flight director following a planned route. Instead, the system acts fully independently, reacting to the dynamic combat environment to avoid threats, optimize routing, and execute emergency procedures if necessary,” the company said in an Oct. 17 release.

“The growth in the forecast period can be attributed to climate change impact on wildfires, development of next-generation fire retardants, increased focus on early detection, global expansion of wildland-urban interfaces, and government preparedness investments,” the report said. “Major trends in the forecast period include enhanced remote sensing technologies, integration of drone technology, advancements in aerial firefighting technologies, the growing importance of aerial firefighting services, and global collaboration for aerial firefighting resources.”

Firefightingplanescooping water

The Denver Post reported that Gov. Jared Polis has deployed Colorado National Guard troops to the Quarry, Stone Canyon, and Alexander Mountain fires. He said they’ll help with logistics, road closures, and other tasks to free up fire officials and firefighters.

Aerial firefighting aircraft

Lockheed Martin originally announced the helicopter’s development in October, claiming the aircraft could be commanded solely on a tablet from 300 miles away.

The wreckage was found and the pilot’s body has been recovered, according to Lisa Clark of BLM. The pilot’s identity and the precise location of where the plane was found was not released

Fire planefor sale

The market has “grown strongly” in recent years, with an increase from $8.77 billion in 2023 to $9.57 billion in 2024. The market is expected to grow to $13.42 by 2028 at a compound annual growth rate of 8.8%.

The Aviation Safety Network reported that an Air Tractor AT-802A owned by Wakefield Aircraft out of North Dakota crashed near Seneca, with one occupant, unknown injuries, and unknown aircraft damage.

U.S. Reps. Brittany Pettersen and Joe Neguse and U.S. Sens. Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper asked fire officials to help Colorado get more hand crews as soon as possible plus any available engines, incident management teams, or aviation resources.

The force is supported by a fourth helicopter, a Sikorsky S-76, equipped with a suite of thermal and HD cameras as well as mapping software for accurate detection and reporting of a fire’s perimeter and hotspots.

The Maxwell family and firefighters are grateful for the support expressed throughout the community and online. Services have not yet been announced and the family requests time and privacy.

KPTV reported that fire managers reported the aircraft missing on a lightning-started fire on the Malheur National Forest. Search crews have been hunting for the plane since Thursday night and will continue Friday.