A 36-year-old father of four from Edmonton who was killed in a plane crash near Lytton along with a B.C. pilot is being remembered by his wife as the type of dad "you'd only see in the movies."
"When he'd come in the door, we'd drop everything we were doing and we would run into his arms.
An emotional Annette Tilley shared memories of her husband Brian Tilley Monday, just two days after he was killed.
Co-pilot Brian Tilley of Edmonton and pilot Tim Whiting, a 58-year-old resident of Langley, B.C. have been identified as the victims of Saturday's crash.
The two worked for Conair, an Abbottsford-based company that had been contracted out to fight forest fires.
Annette and her four daughters ages 3, 6, 8 and 15 are now all grieving the of their dad and husband.
"They cry themselves to sleep, but then they smile and play," said Annette.
Both victims were experienced pilots. Whiting had been working for the company as a pilot for 28 year and Tilley had recently been hired by the company.
Their names were released Monday by Conair as authorities in B.C. continue to search for clues as to what caused the deadly crash.
"On behalf of all British Columbians, I would like to extend our sincere condolences to the families of the victims of this tragic plane crash," B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell said in a statement Sunday.
"As British Columbians, we owe a debt of gratitude to those who bravely put their lives in danger to keep our homes, our families and our communities safe."
Just last week, CTV News had interviewed Whiting about his experiences fighting fires from the sky.
"A wildfire is scary, and once it gets out of control and gets into some dry tinder, there's nothing that can stop it," he said.
The aircraft was contracted out to the B.C. Ministry of Forests and Lands as it fought a new fire near Siwash Road, located about 18 kilometres south of Lytton.
Witnesses reported seeing the plane fall from the sky. A second Conair aircraft that was shadowing the air tanker pinpointed the location of the crash site for crews on the ground.
Mounties and rescue workers were able to get within 350 metres of the crash on Saturday, but were forced to turn back due to rocky terrain and a growing wildfire sparked by the crash.
They eventually reached the site Sunday.
Evacuation orders and alerts, as well as campfire bans, remain in effect across B.C. this weekend as crews struggle to contain more than 350 wildfires.
Roughly 250 firefighters and fire specialists from Alberta and Ontario have come to lend a hand. Fourteen air tankers and support aircraft are also flying in from Alberta and the Yukon.
With files from CTV.ca