B.C. firefighters get help from Mars water bomber

B.C. has brought back the largest aircraft of its kind in the world — the Martin Mars water bomber — to help fight some of the hundreds of wildfires scorching the province.

The Mars is once again working to douse wildfire flames in B.C. after years of being contracted to work outside the province.

"We've been away for three years, working with folks in southern California and we've made significant changes to the aircraft," said Wayne Coulson of Coulson Flying Tankers, the Martin Mars' owner.

The bombers were based for years on Vancouver Island's Sproat Lake, near Port Alberni.

With its return to B.C. come other changes: The aircraft is using a new technology to help fight wildfires.

The four-engine, Second World War-vintage plane used to drop only water that they had scooped from lakes. They now also inject a fire suppressant gel into each load of water to maximize the effect of each drop.

"[The gel] retains water," said Coulson. "When we drop the gel on the fire, it cools the fire down and then the water's there and hopefully puts it out."

Fire officials are using the 60-metre wingspan bomber for their attack on some of the province's biggest fires, such as the huge blaze at Binta Lake, about 500 kilometres north of Vancouver.

The fire is estimated to be at least 380 square kilometres in size and was only 10 per cent contained Friday morning.

"Part of what we're doing with the Mars this year is research," said Jeff Berry of the Kamloops Fire Centre. "[We want] to see if the addition of this polymer into the water is going to help give those people on the ground a little more time."

The aircraft is under contract with the B.C. Ministry of Forests until September.