Firefighters in Southern California continue to battle a dozen or more blazes that have claimed one life and at least 40,000 acres of land. The fires were sparked early Sunday morning—causes are still under investigation—and are spreading with the help of 60 mph Santa Ana winds.
Over the years, crews have fought wildfires with everything from axes to buckets of water to chemical retardants. In the Oct. 1947 issue, PM devoted its cover to a new technique being tested by the U.S. Forest Service: dropping water bombs from converted B-29 airplanes. "In contrast to meager pre-[WWII] efforts, like kicking five-gallon cans of water out of plane doors," PM wrote, "Three planes drop water-filled auxiliary fuel tanks weighing 13,000 pounds and more on a single sweep." Though entire tanks are no longer expelled from aircraft, today's fire departments rely heavily on air support. The Los Angeles County Fire Department's Air Operations fleet includes two Bombardier 415 Superscoopers with 1621-gallon tanks, as well as three Sikorsky S-70 Firehawk helicopters equipped with 1000-gallon water tanks.
Related: Check out PM's seven-step checklist for home fire safety.