If you live near Blue Mountain and looked up Saturday and Sunday, you probably noticed airplanes and helicopters flying overhead.

As 400 acres of the mountain burned over both days, the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources used the four fixed-wing air tankers and one helicopter to help fight the flames, which at one point climbed to heights over 40 feet.Using aircraft services, while effective, comes at a cost.According to Mike Kern, DCNR forestry director, the air tankers are equipped to drop a mixture of water and fire retardant.Kern said a cost for the planes used to fight the Blue Mountain fire is not definitive yet."It will be several thousand dollars," he added.John Plonski, former DCNR executive deputy secretary for parks and forestry, said it can cost up to $25 per minute to deploy the air tankers.Air tankers leave from the Wyoming Air Attack Base at Hazleton Municipal Airport."The air tankers have to return to Hazleton to get more water and retardant as we have a seasonal facility located there," Kern said. "The helicopter, based in Penn Forest Township, can fill up at a locally available water source."One source DCNR used in East Penn Township was Never Done Farm.The Bureau of Forestry first used an aircraft to suppress wildfires in Pennsylvania in 1960 from Hazleton and the Midstate Airport, both chosen for their proximity to the greatest concentration of wildfires. The first water bombers were bi-wing, single-engine aircraft that carried 180 gallons of water.The aircraft and pilots are on contract with DCNR. This year's contract started on March 28."The money comes from our state budget," Kern said.The air tankers have been seeing a lot of the area with the dry conditions prior to Monday's rain.On April 13, one of the aircraft was summoned to a 15-acre wildfire in Pocono Township, Monroe County.The Blue Mountain fire broke out Saturday around 2:30 p.m. near West Sunset Road in East Penn Township.Firefighters worked more than 30 hours trying to get the blaze under control.DCNR officials are still investigating what caused the fire, which was spotted by several teenagers riding all terrain vehicles.Fires across the state have been average in 2015, Kern said."This was easily our largest of the year," he added. "April is always our busiest month as far as wildfire activity."DCNR continues to urge people to be careful with fire and avoid burning when it is dry and windy.