A WestJet Airlines Ltd plane that was headed to Vancouver early on Wednesday was diverted to the Canadian town of Prince George in the province of British Columbia after a warning from a fire detector, a spokeswoman said.

WestJet Encore Flight 3205, carrying 44 passengers and 4 crew aboard a Bombardier Q400 prop plane, landed safely at Prince George, airline spokeswoman Lauren Stewart said by email.

"All guests, crew and baggage have been offloaded and a preliminary inspection indicates at this time that no fire was present," she wrote.

The plane had departed from Fort St. John in British Columbia.

Eric Collard, a spokesman for Canada's Transportation Safety Board, said the agency was "gathering information" about the incident.

Stewart said WestJet was arranging aircraft from Calgary, Alberta to retrieve the passengers and expected that "everyone will be on their way this morning."