A stand of trees explodes in flames Saturday near Rocky Point in Big Sur as a Cal Fire crew pilots a helicopter as they zero in for a water drop Cal Fire continues to fight the blaze which is burning is steep terrain. Aircraft are the primary tool employed to battle this fire. Cal Fire said evacuation orders and road closures were lifted as containment of the Colorado Fire reached 55% by midday Wednesday.

A Cal Fire tanker drops retardant on a hillside along Highway 1 between Rocky Point and the Rocky Creek Bridge as the Colorado Fire burns in Big Sur on Saturday. Helicopters and air tankers combined to attack the heads of the blaze, which was especially important since the terrain was steep and hard to reach for hand crews on the ground. Quite often water is dropped directly on hot spots while retardant is surgically laid in the path of advancing flames to control the spread of the fire. The men and women of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) are dedicated to fire protection and stewardship of more than 31 million acres of California’s privately-owned wildlands. In addition, the department provides varied emergency services in 36 of the state’s 58 counties via contracts with local governments. California Department of Forestry, known as CDF, was established in 1885 and the firefighting arm was renamed Cal Fire in the late 1990s. (Shmuel Thaler – Santa Cruz Sentinel) 
A Cal Fire Bell UH-1H Huey helicopter makes a water drop on the Colorado Fire in Big Sur on Saturday. Cal Fire utilizes the Super Hueys for fast initial-attack on wildland fires and these copters are able to quickly deliver a nine-person fire crew wherever needed as well as battle fires with water or foam drops. They are also utilized for medical evacuations, backfiring operations, infrared mapping of incidents and numerous non-fire emergency missions. (Shmuel Thaler – Santa Cruz Sentinel) 
Rotor wash creates a pattern in the water as a Cal Fire helicopter loads water from the Pacific Ocean while fighting the Colorado Fire in Big Sur. (Shmuel Thaler – Santa Cruz Sentinel) 
A water drop by a Cal Fire helicopter at the Colorado Fire. (Shmuel Thaler – Santa Cruz Sentinel) 
A hilltop stadium of trees explodes as the Colorado Fire burns in Big Sur. (Shmuel Thaler – Santa Cruz Sentinel) 
A stand of trees explodes in flames on Saturday near Rocky Point in Big Sur as a Cal Fire crew pilots a helicopter as they zero in for a water drop Cal Fire continues to fight the blaze which is burning is steep terrain. Aircraft are the primary tool employed to battle this fire. (Shmuel Thaler – Santa Cruz Sentinel) 

Source: www.mercurynews.com