RED LAKE, Ont. — Wisk Air Helicopters of Thunder Bay deployed the world's largest, most powerful single-engine helicopter on the recent forest fire that forced the evacuation of Red Lake.
The Bell 214 B-1 is known as the Big Lifter.
It can carry nearly 2,500 litres (650 gallons) of water at a time, or about double the capacity of other helicopters.
Wisk Air was contracted by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry to work on the fire for eight days, for up to eight hours a day.
It's estimated that the helicopter dropped a total of 300,000 litres daily on the fire.
The company bought the chopper in 2019, along with a customized multi-drop bucket, called Bambi Max, specifically designed for firefighting.
It can carry 15 firefighters at a time, and can lift up to 3,100 kilograms.
Wisk Air CEO Mark Wiskemann said the machine is the only one in northern Ontario and one of only three in operation across Canada
"It is very rewarding to be able to step up as a company when our communities need us most. We've worked in the Northwest for decades and we were able to respond to this fire immediately from our Red Lake base with aircrew and support crew alike," Wiskemann said.
The company operates a fleet of nine helicopters.
