The North Carolina Air National Guard has dropped nearly 1 million gallons of flame-retardant liquid on raging wildfires in northern California.

Guard spokesman Maj. Matt Handley said about 50 airman from the
145th Airlift Wing based at Charlotte-Douglas International Airport
have been in the Sacramento area for three weeks.

Fires in areas about 90 miles north of the city have destroyed
50 homes and forced some 10,000 residents to flee.

The wing's C-130 cargo planes are equipped with a series of
pressurized tanks that spray 3,000 gallons of flame-retardant
liquid onto the leading edge of a fire. The unit has dropped more
than 990,000 gallons to help fight a complex of fires in the
region.