It was late afternoon before the distinctive rumble of the planes used for slurry drops echoed up the canyon. For that job, refurbished World War II prop planes were the best. The tricky winds and rugged terrain made jets with their speed and lack of soaring capability almost useless, while the old DC-6s and their ilk could lumber along, almost slow to a hover, and maneuver to make good drops.
Several more members of the Valle Vista crew had arrived in the meantime and the whole group had spread out along the edges of the fire, hacking away dry vegetation and clearing duff to make a crude fire break. That helped, but there were still places they could not reach, and narrow gullies too dangerous to be trapped in ahead of the greedy flames racing uphill.
Not long after the first aircraft a
