Major Fire At Prince George Airport

[Guest Angry Egg Driver]

Just heard that there is a major fire at the Prince George airport.I heard it may be the VIH hangar and the NT Air Hangar....Anyone heard anything?

[Guest Angry Egg Driver]

So it looks like its just the NT Air hangar.I think they got all their aircraft out safely.

[Freefall]

Sad to see that old hangar burn down. I haven't seen many wooden hangar's that big. I think it was built by northern mountain airlines back in the late 50's? Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[arctic_front]

Sad to see that old hangar burn down. I haven't seen many wooden hangar's that big. I think it was built by northern mountain airlines back in the late 50's? Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

 

Was this NT Air hangar one of the old WWII 'northern staging route' hangars? There were some in Edmonton, Ft St. John, Ft Nelson Watson Lk. and Whitehorse. Most are gone now (all 3 in Whitehorse are gone, 2 of them burnt, one belonged to Trans North Turbo Air). When those hangars burn, they REALLY burn. They were insulated with sawdust and built out of some of the best Fir beams you could ever get.

 

Even if the aircraft were salvaged, there is usually plenty lost in the Stores room, engineer tools, shop equipment, computers, records, logbooks ect. A fire can devastate any company worse than imaginable. Wood hangars that age burn with an intensity only matched by an oil-rig fire or fireworks. It is truly something to see. I witnessed the Trans North fire first hand. It happened at night and it lit up the sky. The glow was visible for over a hundred miles. The building burned for 2 full days. There was absolutely nothing left, nada, zilch.

 

No injuries is good news too. Good luck to the people at Northern Thunderbird. They will be faced with a daunting task trying to recoup from this disaster. All the other operators in P.G step up to the plate and lend a hand. That is what is so great about this industry.

 

Merry Christmas everyone.

 

 

 

[icepony]

CBC News - BC - 1 missing after fire...

 

CBC News - BC - Hunt resumes for BC man missing since airport fire

 

Lots of Pictures at this link...

 

[Skids Up]

Sad day in the industry.

 

I started my career as an apprentice FW engineer in that hangar a looooonnnng time ago. Spent many a cold nights in the hangar when it seemed much warmer outside!

 

Then we got the big heaters in the ceiling, but were told we couldn't afford to run them...

 

Not saying I miss those conditions, but worked with many fine pilots and engineers in and out of that hangar.

 

It is an icon in the aviation world that won't be replaced...

 

 

[arctic_front]

Any further word on the missing man? I hope it all worked out.