1. Firefighters attacked from the air with water and retardant before they could spread to threatened cabins.

2. The record retardant drop occurred Wednesday, and Thursday was another heavy day.

3. One minute later, firefighters started applying flame retardant to the right side of the plane.

4. Air tankers have dropped water and flame retardant to protect neighborhoods and power lines, he said.

5. Aircraft overhead, responsible in part for keeping track of fire operations below, were pressing to make protective retardant drops.