VIDEO: With numerous major wildfires burning across the state and region well into September, many Central Oregonians have seen more air traffic this week, as air tankers are busy refueling and reloading retardant at their Redmond base. Redmond Air Center has seen a busy fire season. Air tankers filled with retardants have played a crucial role in tackling fires across the state.
"We can get to them faster than some people can on the ground," said Erik Komberec, the chief pilot with Neptune Aviation, said Thursday. "By air, we can essentially what we call try to box the fire in with a retardant to slow the fire's spread and also combat the flames."
Neptune Aviation Services is based in Missoula, Montana. It's just one of several federal contractors helping fight fires in Central Oregon. Komberec says there are only 18 air tankers in the entire United States.