Now that the B.C. Government has agreed to add the Martin Mars water bomber to its wildfire-fighting arsenal, the question becomes where the bomber might be most effective.
The aircraft is in Port Alberni and is near to a fire burning in Sproat Lake Provincial Park. That fire is estimated to be 96 hectares in size and is believed to be human-caused.
However, a decision has not yet been made as to when the Martin Mars might go into operation. Wayne Coulson of the Coulson Group of Companies said he has been talking to the province for the last 90 days about recalling the aircraft into service but the government didn’t think it needed the help until about a week ago.
It was moved into the water Tuesday morning:
READ MORE: Global BC’s full fire coverage
“For the Mars return this year, obviously it’s going to be most effective where it has access to a large water source, particularly coastal areas, things like that,” said provincial fire information officer Kevin Skrepnek.
“We’ll have to see, if it does return, where it’s going to be used and what its effectiveness is going to be.”
Coulson said if the aircraft is needed, the government has agreed to “piggy back” it onto an existing contract, where his company already supplies helicopters for firefighting services.
WATCH: Martin Mars water bombers idle during firefight. Kylie Stanton reports:
– With files from The Canadian Press
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