A Revelstoke-based ‘Fire Boss’ firefighting airplane crashed Friday afternoon (July 10) at Puntzi Lake while battling a nearby wildfire.
B.C. Chief Fire Information Officer Kevin Skrepnek confirmed that the plane is one of four based at the Revelstoke Airport. It was in the Cariboo on Friday battling the 1,200-hectare Puntzi Lake wildfire near Williams Lake.
After crashing, the pilot exited the plane and was able to make it to shore, where he was located and transported to hospital by helicopter.
The pilot was in reasonable condition with “no indications of major injuries” Skrepnek said. “The plane has sunk to the bottom of the lake.”
Jeff Berry is a spokesperson for Conair, an Abbotsford-based air service contractor that operates the four Fire Boss planes that are based in Revelstoke. The planes are on contract with the B.C. Wildfire Service. It’s the second season they’ve been based in Revelstoke.
Berry said the pilot was, “walking and appears OK. We are optimistic he is OK but it’s too early to say.”
He said the plane crashed while scooping up water from the lake, but beyond that didn’t have details on the crash.
“Landing and taking off is the most dangerous part of any flight,” Berry said of the operation of the single-pilot planes that are used to dump water and retardants on wildfires. “We don’t consider it dangerous, but there are risks.”
The Transportation Safety Board is involved with the investigation of the incident.
“We are going to uncover every stone and look at everything,” Berry said.
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