# Source note — Martin Mars water bomber capacity and B.C. accountability

Prepared: 2026-08-13

## Reader lead
The reader asked BCFires to background the Martin JRM Mars/Hawaii Mars water bomber, compare its capacity to newer Canadair-class amphibious aircraft, and ask why B.C. retired or failed to use such a large-capacity aircraft while Interior/Okanagan fires continue.

Two reader-supplied visuals were captured as leads:
- `reader-supplied-mars-visual-lead.jpg` — appears visually consistent with a large four-engine Martin Mars water bomber operating on a lake, but no registration/date/location is visible.
- `reader-supplied-okanagan-map-lead.jpg` — appears to show an Okanagan-region wildfire/emergency map with markers near Vernon and Penticton; no official URL/legend/timestamp is visible in the crop, so BCFires does not treat it as live status evidence.

## Key verified sources
- BC Aviation Museum, “Martin Mars Specifications and Performance”: max tank capacity 27,240 L; pickup time 20–30 seconds; four Wright R3350 engines; 200-foot wingspan.
- BC Aviation Museum / Coulson release: Hawaii Mars donated for permanent display; final flight from Sproat Lake/Port Alberni to Patricia Bay/Victoria; no water drop on final flight; carrying 27,000 L / 7,200 US gal per drop; Coulson retired Mars waterbombers in 2015.
- BC Aviation Museum final-flight page: final flight to BCAM on Aug. 11, 2024; “Mars Saved BC, Now BC Saves The Mars”; more than 25,000 L per run in firefighting days.
- De Havilland Canadair 515 specs: water tank capacity 6,137 L / 1,621 US gal.
- Vintage Aviation News: quotes/summary of debate over why Martin Mars was not fighting fires; includes BCWS quoted statement that Mars was retired and had not been used in B.C. since 2015; includes Wayne Coulson comments as stakeholder opinion, not official finding.
- 2003 Okanagan Mountain Park Fire background: 25,912 hectares and 239 structures destroyed; BCFires did not verify the exact “citizens begged government to use Mars” wording from primary sources in this pass.

## Editorial limits
- This is an accountability source-check, not an official emergency update.
- Do not infer current active fire size/status from the reader map screenshot.
- Do not call the retirement/procurement choice “corruption” as fact without documents showing improper conduct.
- The strongest sourced angle is: B.C. should publish the aircraft-capability analysis, dispatch doctrine, maintenance/readiness assessment, rejected-options memo and cost comparison behind retiring/not contracting Mars-scale capability.

## Safety lines
If life or property is at immediate risk, call 911. To report a wildfire in B.C., call 1-800-663-5555 or *5555.