Officials Warn NW Boaters, Keep An Eye on The Sky

The reminder came from the Klickitat County Sheriff's Office but also applies to many areas around the Pacific Northwest.

  Boaters are urged to keep an eye out for reloading water bombers.

The KCSO specifically said water bombers are skimming or reloading their water tanks on Swift Reservoir and the Columbia River in Klickitat County, before returning to fire zones.

Get our free mobile app

These water bombers, which vary in size, skim over the water surface, take on a load, then leave. Depending on where the nearest water source is, sometimes these planes do travel to areas where there are lots of boaters.

When you see a plane approaching at a low level, make sure you are clear of the area, in the interest of safety for you and the aircrew. There have been occasions when pilots had to pull up and make another run because their reloading path was blocked by boaters.

With dozens of wildfires being fought this summer, there is a lot of water bomber traffic, especially near the fire zones.