SAN ANTONIO --
Most people see Blue Eagle, SAPD'S helicopter unit, and think police work. But Monday's wildfire in Stone Oak required one of their choppers to switch gears.
On Tuesday, KSAT-12 spoke to the pilots who were in the thick of it all.
"It looked like Stone Oak was on fire, so I figured I'd better get to work pretty quick," said SAPD pilot Eric Huckabee.
Huckabee lives in Stone Oak and pilots the SAPD chopper that battled the brush fire. He said his home wasn't in danger, but his neighbors were.
"There's a little bit of adrenaline to get the job done and stop the fire," Huckabee said.
Hucakbee and crew chief Mike Trollinger took off from SAPD'S hanger at Stinson Airport.
Attached to the chopper was a water carrier called a Bambi Bucket. The Bambi Bucket holds 140-gallons of water and is essential to fighting flames in hard to reach areas.
"When we dumped the water on it and got a good hit, the flames were gone," Huckabee said.
Huckabee and Trollinger made several runs Monday, filling up from a 6,000 gallon pool they had set up nearby.
It was a long day, but the pair said it was well worth it. "I believe that our part is pretty small, but if we help even one firefighter then we're doing a big part of it," Huckabee said.
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