A small B.C. airline is dealing with the aftermath of a fire that left its Prince George hangar in ashes on Saturday afternoon.
The fire broke out at around 2:40 p.m. at a hangar belonging to Northern Thunderbird Air, a charter company with 70 employees and 11 aircraft.
For 45 minutes, staff scrambled to remove the eight parked planes - including one air ambulance - out of harm's way.
"In pretty short order, they got all of our aircraft, some of our parts and engines on the floor, and all their tool boxes moved out," said Northern Thunderbird general manager Bill Hesse.
Losing aircraft could have been devastating to the small company, Hesse said.
"I just want to thank the people that stayed calm and really rescued some really important assets for us," Hesse said. "A couple of those not making it would have changed the whole outcome."
No one was injured in the fire, though the wood building, dating back to the World War II era, was completely destroyed.
RCMP Sgt. Al Steinhauser says the fire's cause has not yet been determined.
"It's too early to tell," Steinhauser said. "Indications are it may have been an electrical fire."
Several Northern Thunderbird Air employees will be temporarily relocated to offices in Smithers and Vancovuer.
Officials expect flight operations to be back to normal by Monday.
With a report from CTV British Columbia's Norma Reid
