California is still battling the deadliest wildfires in its history, and across the state, the death toll stands at 86 people.

In northern California, the town of Paradise (or as Trump calls it, ‘Pleasure’) has been all but destroyed. The Woolsey fire that tore through Los Angeles and Ventura counties has now been contained, but it burned more than 96 000 acres and claimed three lives.

It’s also the same fire that aerial firefighting crews battled to keep off the highway near LA.

Now more footage has emerged of a rescue mission undertaken on November 9, reports Mashable:

The footage is harrowing, taken from a helmet cam, as rescuers navigate a helicopter among the wind, smoke, and fire to land safely and rescue three people — and two dogs — on Castro Peak near Malibu.

It also offers up a rare perspective of what it takes to make these rescues, how complicated and dangerous they are and the risks taken by first responders in dire situations — in this case LAFD Air Operations pilots David Nordquist and Joel Smith.

Even more impressive is the way the pair kept calm and pulled off the rescue without a hitch. One even drily commented, “That was enough excitement for me today.”

It’s 11 minutes long, but if you skip through you can watch the action unfold.

I want to share a beer with the guy who chirps about it being enough excitement.

We have also seen similar footage of pilots battling the recent Garden Route fires here at home. These men and women risk their lives every time they step out to battle a blaze, so don’t be shy to show your appreciation.

[source:mashable]