An Australian firefighting aircraft is assisting crews in battling Utah's active wildfire season, providing international support to fires burning across the state.
Tanker 210, also known as the Marie Bashir, is a Boeing 737 large air tanker owned by the New South Wales Rural Fire Service (NSW RFS). The aircraft arrived in the United States as part of a long-standing agreement between Australia and the U.S. to share firefighting resources when wildfire seasons overlap.
Tanker 210, also referred to as the FireLiner, has worked multiple days on the Widemouth 2 Fire in Millard County and previously the Cherry Fire in Utah's west desert.
The Boeing 737 is capable of delivering approximately 4,000 gallons of fire retardant in a single drop. While air tankers do not extinguish fires on their own, they serve as a critical tool for supporting ground operations by slowing the spread of fast-moving wildfires. This gives firefighters on the ground more time to protect communities and homes and build containment lines.
Utah has relied heavily on aerial firefighting resources during this year's busy fire season. Tanker 210 has joined a fleet of lead aircraft, helicopters, and large air tankers working to support firefighters across the state.
The deployment highlights the close partnership between Australia and the United States, as both nations routinely share personnel, equipment, and aircraft when one country's fire season ends and the other's begins.
