The Tennessee National Guard have help battled wildfires from the air in Great Smoky Mountains National Park following a request of the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency, the Tennessee National Guard provided four UH-60 Black Hawks and crews from 1-230th Assault Helicopter Battalion, based at McGhee Tyson Air National Guard Base, to support wildfire response in the national park.

Each aircraft made multiple trips throughout the afternoon, picking up water from nearby water sources and transporting it directly to the areas needed. The aircrews delivered more than 40 bucket loads of water, totaling nearly 8,000 gallons.

Three Tennessee National Guard helicopter crews flew missions Aug. 28, delivering water to suppress the spread of the fire.