A New Bomber Joins the Fire Fight

The firefighting Air Force that flying all over Southern California has a new addition:

After some delays getting through customs, the Martin Mars amphibious water bomber has arrived from Vancouver, British Columbia and is in Southern California. Reader Dave Bohorquez snapped this shot of the big seaplane floating in Lake Elsinore, awaiting firefighting assignments.

The World War II-era flying boat has been used for fighting fires in Canada since 1959. They can land on lakes or in the ocean, can fill their tanks in the water and have a capacity of 7,200 gallons.

Go get 'em!