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• All eight C-130s were dispatched to Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs last week to fight Colorado wildfires. The C-130 can drop 3,000 gallons of water or fire retardant in less than five seconds, covering an area one-quarter of a mile long by 100 feet wide, and can be refilled in less than 12 minutes, according to the Defense Department.
• Castro said the Charlotte, N.C.-based tanker made at least two drops of retardant on the White Draw Fire on Sunday before crashing at about 6 p.m.
• The fire was burning mainly on U.S. Forest Service land, although residents of five homes were asked to evacuate voluntarily over the weekend.
• Steep terrain, rattlesnakes and hot, dry weather challenged the 181 people battling the fire. The National Weather Service has forecast temperatures in the 90s through the end of the week.
• Frank Maynard, Fall River County's emergency management director, described the terrain as "very, very rugged, straight up and straight down cliffs."
• "You could take a vehicle in there if you wanted to get rid of the vehicle when you're done," he said.
• Rancher Mark Hollenbeck said he will have to sell most of his 250 cattle and 200 sheep because the fire burned about 1,000 acres of grass on his 1,600-acre ranch five miles north of Edgemont. He also expects to lose customers at the guest lodge he runs on his ranch because the scenery now features blackened pastures.
• The rancher also said he was upset because fire crews were called away from his ranch early Saturday morning, when they were making progress in snuffing out the flames while the wind was low and the humidity was high. Hot, dry winds later in the day fanned the flames and burned more of his property, he said.
• "It means I'm going to be selling livestock because I have lost a considerable amount of my grazing, which means I will lower my income potential for the next several years," Hollenbeck said.
(Continued on page 24)
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