A massive weapon in the fight against B.C. wildfires is back in action.
Residents cheered and snapped photos as the Martin Mars bomber took a test flight in the skies over Port Alberni Thursday night.
The water bomber’s owner says the plane will start fighting wildfires Saturday.
Its first mission will be to douse the Dog Mountain blaze near Sproat Lake.
The 400-hectare blaze is situated in difficult and steep terrain, making it difficult for crews to get an upper hand on. Some firefighters reported seeing cedar trees up to 60-metres tall shooting into the lake “like torpedoes.”
The Ministry of Forests says there is a one-month agreement in place to use the iconic Mars bomber.
Public pressure has ramped up to reinstate the bomber, with more than 20,000 people signing a Change.org petition.
When it was last contracted in 2013, the Mars bomber cost the province about $670,000 per season while on standby, and $4,000 per hour when it was in use, according to the Ministry of Forests. It was only deployed to 20 wildfires between 2007 and 2013.
The four replacement Fire Boss skimmers carry about 3,000 litres of water each and are contracted for $2.5 million per season, plus a combined hourly use rate of $2,000.
