Mock battles are taking place in the skies above Redding this week as aerial firefighters practice for the looming fire season.
The training is taking place at the Redding Air Attack Base north of the Redding airport and over simulated fires at a Whitmore ranch about 25 miles east of Redding. Smoke bombs guided the tankers and helicopters to their targets in a field at the Whitmore ranch Wednesday.
"This week you may notice firefighting aircraft flying locally even though there isn't smoke in the air," the Shasta-Trinity Unit of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said on its Facebook page.
Cal Fire and the U.S. Forest Service are holding their annual spring California Aerial Supervision Academy along with an air tanker base management class.
Read more on this story at the Redding Record.
