Dropping water

Two of the nine choppers are up in the air about 2:30 p.m. this afternoon for the first time today after thick smoke kept them grounded this morning, said Sgt. Don Atkinson of the El Dorado Sheriff's Department. The choppers are equipped with buckets to begin dropping water again but will also be doing observation to determine the current containment level and the fire line area, Atkinson said.

"What they're working on right now is the north end of the [fire] area, between the fire line and Camp Richardson," Atkinson said. "They're working the northern fire line right now, which goes basically due west from the high school along the edge of Gardner Mountain.... That's where the residential property is ... and other historical spots they're trying to keep from becoming endangered."

-- Tami Abdollah