A retired Coast Guard helicopter pilot details the risks to flight crews battling the Los Angeles fires

As deadly forest fires spread and claimed the lives of thousands of Los Angeles County residents Fleeing for their livesThere are brave Americans heading into danger to fight the flames.

John Mixon, a retired U.S. Coast Guard search and rescue aircraft pilot, knows the dangers to crew members fighting fires. Flight crews resumed their flights on Wednesday after stopping since Tuesday evening.

“There are a lot of different risks that are unique to the process that they do,” Mixon told Fox News Digital. “One of the most obvious is low altitude over mountainous terrain in high wind conditions, which is what they are fighting right now.”

Aviation crews working to contain wildfires also face many obstacles. Through the smoke, these crews must also avoid other aircraft, terrain and everyday hazards like radio towers, Mixon noted.

Live Updates: California wildfires ravage Los Angeles County, killing 5 people and threatening thousands of homes

In addition to stressful conditions, firefighting aircraft operators also have to handle populated areas with care. This means exploring how to put out a fire while dealing not only with “personal property, but also with employees and life.”

A Palisades resident describes losing his home in the fires

Despite the high stress of the job, which Mixon admits is “very difficult and dangerous”, he expressed his confidence in those battling the devastating fires.

“The crews doing this are all very highly trained specifically for the specialized mission,” Mixon said. “This is not a secondary mission for Cal Fire firefighters or any of the Department of Defense or Forest Service firefighters. Just like the U.S. Coast Guard, they are very, very specialized in what they do. It’s very dangerous, it’s very dangerous.” They are very challenging, but they are also very highly trained, uniquely for the specific task.

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Devastating wildfires in Los Angeles County have left five people dead and forced thousands to flee their homes. He faces off against Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and California Governor Gavin Newsom Increasing criticism for their response to the disaster. Bass, in particular, has faced backlash for not only being out of the country when the fires started, but for cutting her city’s fire department budget by $17 million.

Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone announced Thursday that the growth of the Eaton Fire has “drastically halted.” The forest fires had burned more than 29,000 acres as of midday on Thursday, according to what Reuters reported. Cal Fire.

Follow the California wildfires live here