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MARS WATER BOMBERS MAY DRY UP: For more than 40 years, the Martin Mars
water bomber was a familiar and welcome sight over the skies of the
Canadian Pacific Northwest. But, due to budget shortfalls by its
operator Weyerhaeuser, the firefighting workhorse may fly no more. Its
$1.2 million yearly upkeep is now dependent on sources outside the
company. The aircraft has been credited for playing a major role in the
battle against some notorious fires in the Alberni Valley area in
British Columbia since the program's inception in 1960.