Air Support called in to battle the Chelan Hills (Acres) Fire
By LakeChelanNow, Feature photos by Jenna Rahm and Evie Hirschberger
People in Beebe Park, Chelan Falls and downtown Chelan yesterday witnessed an impressive aerial display, as the State mobilized multiple resources to attack the Chelan Hills Fire near Beebe Bridge.
The resources included 5 Fire Boss planes – small, single-engine amphibious planes that fly in formation. These are able to fly for up to four hours. They have capacity in their pontoons to hold 800 gallons of water, which they were scooping from Lake Chelan last night to large crowds of spectators on the Old Bridge.
Several helicopters were collecting water from the Columbia River to help contain the fire, and a DC-10 fire tanker dropped fire retardant in several locations.
Please remember, if you’re playing on the lake or the Columbia River, give these pilots plenty of space!
Watch our video compilation below for a taste of the aerial activity last night.
For updated information about the status of the Chelan Hills Fire, visit our story on the fire.
Spectators watch on the Old Bridge as Fire Boss planes reload on Lake Chelan
Fire Boss planes scoop up water from Lake Chelan – photo submitted by Evie Hirschberger
We are thankful to the skilled pilots and firefighters for their rapid response to the fire.
