Collier County pilots feel intense heat while fighting Picayune fire

NAPLES, Fla. (WINK) — Collier County Sheriff's Office pilots spent hours in the air battling the Picayune Strand State Forest fire from above while ground crews fought the flames below on Wednesday.

• RELATED: WINK News goes into the Picayune Strand State Forest as crews work to contain brush fire

Lt. Dennis Derienzo said he flew for eight straight hours Monday with no breaks. The mission is repetitive and demanding: dip, fill, fly, drop and repeat.

The aircraft is equipped with buttons and screens. The Huey bucket can carry anywhere from 1,500 to 2,000 pounds of water. Their largest aircraft can hold up to 10,000 pounds.

That weight shifts everything and throws off balance. Pilots train repeatedly because there is no room for error.

As they get closer to the fire, it's not just what they see. It's what they feel.

"That aerial view in these helicopters, we knew it was bad," Derienzo said.

"It looks like a big, huge, super cell growing for us," he said.

"You feel the heat, tremendous heat," Derienzo said. "You smell it, taste it, your eyes are burning. You're also trying to keep on to the mission. But when you have to get close to the firewalls, because that's where the water needs to go."

The water weight alone is tough, but wind gusts can push pilots off course mid-drop. Derienzo said the first day was brutal.

Conditions improved with calmer winds, giving pilots better control over their drops.