With their 27,000-litre carrying capacity, the Martin Mars water bombers are in a league of their own.

The impressive firefighting tools, converted from World War II Allied aircraft, are the largest planes of their kind in the world, and were used to drench wildfires in B.C. for 53 years.

Their streak came to an end in 2013, however, when the provincial government grounded the last one in operation, the Hawaii Mars, in favour of smaller skimmers it boasts are cheaper and more efficient.

Not everyone agreed with the move, particularly in the Vancouver Island community of Port Alberni, where the Hawaii and long-retired Philippine Mars remain parked at Coulson Flying Tankers.

“It’s something to behold, to be able to see it in action fighting fires or even just flying over our house,” Chris Alemany said. “When they’re doing training it’ll go right over Port Alberni so everybody sees it.”

Alemany, who admires the Mars so much he built his own miniature replica, launched a Change.org petition on Thursday calling on the government to bring it back into service. Within 48 hours, it gathered more than 2,600 signatures.

The Ministry of Forests said it used to spend about $670,000 per season to keep the Hawaii Mars on standby, plus hourly rates while it was in use.

That’s from an annual firefighting bill that reached $122 million in 2013, and $382 million in 2009.

“In the grand scheme of things, I think to keep this one plane in flight is well-worth taxpayer dollars,” said Alemany, who’s also running for Port Alberni council. “There will never be another aircraft built that will drop as much water as that aircraft will in a day.”

B.C. Premier Christy Clark spent Friday touring West Kelowna, where thousands have been forced to leave home due to the menacing Smith Creek blaze, but declined to wade into the Mars debate.

“I leave that to the emergency personnel, the folks who are experts in this,” Clark said. “We know we have the resources that we need on the ground and in the air right now to do everything we can.”

The Ministry of Forests said the Mars was only deployed to 20 wildfires over the last seven years it was contracted. This year B.C. replaced the huge bomber by contracting four Fire Boss skimmers, which carry about 3,000 litres of water each, for $2.5 million plus an hourly rate.

At the speed the Fire Bosses move, that makes them cheaper per litre than the Mars, according to the ministry. The government also said the aircrafts’ size allows pilots to skim from smaller bodies of water.

In short, despite the Mars’ proud place in aviation history, it’s unlikely to play a part in B.C.’s firefighting future.

Alemany said he’s still holding out hope that the Mars will fly again, however, and pointed to his petition campaign’s growing momentum on social media as proof that public opinion’s on his side.

“I think people understand the value of protecting life, property, our forests and all of B.C.,” he said.

Have your say: Would you like to see the Hawaii Mars fly again?