Judge to weigh limits for aerial fire retardant in wildfires

MISSOULA, Mont. (AP) — A federal judge is weighing whether to severely limit the government’s use of aerial fire retardant to combat wildfires following arguments by environmentalists who are concerned about water pollution. A lawsuit pitting an environmental advocacy group against the U.S. Forest Service and others — including a Northern California town called Paradise, where a 2018 blaze killed 85 people — could reshape the way blazes are fought as this year’s fire season inches closer. Aircraft drops the potentially toxic red slurry in a bid to slow the blazes. U.S. District Judge Dana Christensen said he planned to issue his ruling soon following Monday’s hearing in Missoula, Montana.