Free Republic

MOSCOW. July 28 (Interfax) - A Russian firefighting airplane finished a three-day deployment to Serbia to fight forest fires and left for Moscow on Saturday while another Russian firefighting plane is preparing to leave for Montenegro on Sunday, Russia's Emergency Situations Ministry said. The ministry's Ilyushin Il-76TD has carried out 19 flights in the vicinity of the Serbian city of Nis, spending a total of 12 hours and 20 minutes in the air and dropping 798 tonnes of water, ministry spokesman Viktor Beltsov told Interfax.

A firefighting supertanker jumbo jet has been grounded at its Victorville hub while fire officials investigate what caused the plane to make an emergency landing Monday night. The DC-10 airtanker used by the state firefighting agency, Cal Fire, was forced to return to Victorville about 5:20 p.m. Monday after it struck the top of several trees while fighting the White forest fire in Kern County, according to a statement by Cal Fire. The plane, which carries 12,000 gallons of water or fire retardant, struck severe turbulence near Bison Peak south of Tehachapi, but was able to apply power and...