As B.C. grapples with its worst wildfire season in a decade, there are calls to once again bring the iconic Martin Mars water bomber back into service to help.
Wayne Coulson, the owner of the mammoth bomber, told CTV News he's already offered to bring his converted World War II allied aircraft to the front lines, but the government has ignored him.
Coulson said the Martin Mars is currently sitting idle, and will have to remain that way for weeks whether the province takes him up on his offer or not.
"The Mars won't be ready until the middle of August, we have ongoing maintenance going on," said Coulson, who is president and CEO of the Coulson Group.
The bomber, which was used for over five decades in B.C., can carry 27,000 litres of water at a time. But in recent years, the province has moved toward smaller skimmers that it insists are more cost-effective and efficient.
Iconic though it may be, experts agree the Martin Mars has its limitations.
"Because it's so large it can only pick up from about 100 bodies of water in B.C.," said Mark Miller, an aviation journalist.
Coulson said he also has more modern equipment available that could help in the fight, including built-in-B.C. technology that could allow for water bombing at night.
"We have a command and control helicopter working with a firebombing helicopter, and we use laser technology combined with thermal imaging and night vision goggles as one unit," he said.
The equipment would be best used in situations where urban homes are at risk, according to Coulson.
The B.C. government did not respond to questions from CTV News about the Martin Mars or Coulson's night-vision technology.
With files from CTV Vancouver's Bhinder Sajan
