Bridger responds to Canadian wildfires
US aerial firefighting firm Bridger Aerospace has dispatched six CL-415 Super Scoopers and a PC-12 to fight wildfires in Canada
The mission, which is expected to last at least a couple of weeks, is the Montana company’s first international deployment.
It is also the first time that all six CL-415s have been put into use at the same time. The sixth CL-415 was only acquired by Bridger in February of this year.
Canada is experiencing an early start to its wildfire season, with fires being distributed across the entire country. Speaking to Reuters, Michael Norton, an official with Natural Resources Canada, explained: “The distribution of fires from coast to coast this year is unusual. At this time of the year, fires usually occur only on one side of the country at a time, most often that being in the west.”
He added: “The rate of increase of area burned is also high … if this rate continues, we could hit record levels for area burned this year.”
Oliver Cuenca
Oliver Cuenca was a Junior Editor at the Voyageur Group. He was previously a News and Features Journalist for the rail magazine IRJ until 2021, and studied MA Magazine Journalism at Cardiff University. His favourite helicopter is the AW169 – the workhorse of the UK air ambulance sector! He also led the creation of Waypoint: The AirMed&Rescue podcast, serving as its Production Editor and co-host.