"The main goal is all about fire intelligence ... square kilometer an hour, and our system can scan something like 1,000 square kilometers an hour," he says. Balloons are somewhere in the middle.

Editor’s Note: Call to Earth is a CNN editorial series committed to reporting on the environmental challenges facing our ... fire.” In contrast, the stratosphere, where Urban Sky’s balloons ...

The Urban Sky team uses weather software to calculate where to launch a balloon so that it will drift over the fire at the right elevation. Then the team packs one up, along with compressed helium ...

Fire retardant and water bucket drops were being used Saturday, with helicopters refilling at Black Lake. A Type 2 team was ordered and Camel said they likely would arrive on Sunday or Monday.