Plumas County will have another aerial firefighting resource available this wildfire season as PG&E expands its helicopter program into several new Northern California counties.
Now in its third year, PG&E’s partnership with local fire agencies has grown beyond its original service areas in Butte, Marin and Merced counties. This fire season, the program has expanded to include Plumas, along with Tehama, Glenn, Yuba, Sutter and Colusa counties.
A PG&E Blackhawk helicopter equipped for water drops is based at the Butte County Fire Department’s Chico Air Attack Base through Nov. 15. While stationed in Chico, the aircraft can be dispatched to Plumas County and other neighboring areas through California’s Master Mutual Aid system when additional aerial firefighting support is needed.
The expansion comes as wildfire season ramps up across the region, giving Plumas County access to another tool that can help crews quickly attack new fires before they grow.
The helicopters have already been put to work this season, making water drops on the Pentz Fire in Paradise and the Lone Fire in Palermo on June 26.
Since the program launched in 2023, the PG&E-supported helicopters have responded to more than 60 initial wildfire attacks, logged more than 445 flight hours, completed over 2,600 water drops and released more than 2 million gallons of water on fires.
The program places four Blackhawk helicopters in Northern California through Nov. 15. Three are assigned to participating regions, while a fourth serves as a backup aircraft if needed. Local fire agencies direct the helicopters during wildfire suppression efforts, helping strengthen initial attack capabilities during the busiest months of the fire season.
The helicopter program is one part of PG&E’s broader wildfire prevention strategy, which also includes undergrounding power lines, Enhanced Powerline Safety Settings, Public Safety Power Shutoffs, AI-enabled wildfire cameras and other measures aimed at reducing wildfire risk.
Photo provided by PG&E of Helicopter picking up water during the Park Fire in 2024
