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Tennessee Guardsmen Help Battle East Tennessee Wildfires

  • Published
  • By Lt. Col. Darrin Haas,
  • Tennessee National Guard Public Affairs Office

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee National Guard battled wildfires from the air in Great Smoky Mountains National Park this week.

At the request of the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency, the Tennessee National Guard provided four UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters and crews from Knoxville’s 1-230th Assault Helicopter Battalion to support wildfire response in the national park beginning Aug. 27.

Around 2:20 p.m. EST, Tennessee National Guard helicopters departed from McGhee Tyson Air National Guard Base with buckets used to drop hundreds of gallons of water on wildfires. 

Each aircraft made multiple trips throughout the afternoon, picking up water from nearby water sources and transporting it directly to the needed area. The aircrews delivered more than 40 bucket loads of water, totaling nearly 8,000 gallons.

Three Tennessee National Guard helicopter crews flew missions Aug. 28, delivering water to suppress the spread of the fire. 

The aircraft were to continue supporting firefighting efforts until the evening and as long as needed.