OTTAWA, On. — After four days of battling the brush fire in the West end, fire fighters got a hand from the Airport Authority on Monday.

The Ottawa Airport lent a “Red8″ truck as well as two airport firefighters to tackle hot spots that continue to smolder.

The all-terrain vehicle has large tires that elevate it from the ground, allowing it to reach spots otherwise inaccessible to fire crews.

Once deep in the forest it sprays foam, blanketing embers and in theory preventing future flare-ups.

Kemptville? also pitched in, sending a couple of ATVs to assist firefighters traveling inside the bush.

Ottawa Fire’s Marc Messier says the extra hands and equipment are very valuable, but says the fire will not be fully extinguished until the capital gets “a lot” of rain.

“We need a rain that is going to saturate the ground with water,” says Messier.”We’ll take any rain right now. It’s better than none.”

Messier says as long as these dry conditions persist, hot spots will be recurring.

He says he hopes to pull exhausted crews out by this week but says there’s a big chance crews they will be called back to tackle flare-ups, unless the city gets a big downpour.

Meanwhile, for safety reasons, the National Capital Commission is asking people to stay away from the Stoney Swamp area affected by this brush fire.

NCC parking lots P8, P9 and P10 on Moodie Drive and P6 on Old Richmond Road are closed until further notice.

The Stoney Swamp area is bordered by Moodie Drive, Stonehaven Drive, and Old Richmond Road and is popular with hikers and cyclists.