Taxpayers Might Pay Millions More To Fight Wildfires This Summer While the U.S. government is in charge of fighting most big wildfires, nearly all the 500 or so aircraft they use are privately owned by contractors such as Dauntless Air based in Appleton, Minn. Last year, those planes burned through about $50 million worth of fuel. Every fire season is different, but if this year is the same as last season, that jet fuel bill would almost double to nearly $100 million. That’s because the price of jet fuel has skyrocketed since the war in Iran began in late February. Ultimately, taxpayers will be the ones to shell out tens of millions of dollars more to fight summer wildfires this year.
