Urban blazes often force helicopters to fly far for water — one firefighter found a smarter way
CABAZON, Calif. (AP) — As flames crept up a Los Angeles County hillside, Mark Whaling and his team rushed back and forth in a water tanker truck, desperately trying to keep pace with the blaze. They tapped into a street hydrant for water, while a helicopter flew in for aerial support—but the aircraft had to travel a long distance to refill, allowing what could have been a manageable fire to spiral out of control and damage homes. While on that early 2000s emergency call, Whaling, a now-retired
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