Texas is taking a major step toward changing how it fights wildfires as the state announces the first purchase of state-owned firefighting aircraft.

The announcement comes after years of relying on federal military and contracted aviation resources for incidents such as wildfires.

What we know: The Texas A&M Forest Service announced the purchase of two SUBARU Bell 412EPX helicopters as the first phase of a multi-year effort to strengthen the state's wildfire response capabilities.