By Bill Carey
FireRescue1
FORT ST. JOHN, British Columbia — A fourth Canadian firefighter has died while battling one of the nation’s many wildfires this summer.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) told the Vancouver Sun that the 25-year-old firefighter from Ontario was working on the Donnie Creek Fire on July 28 in a remote area about 150 kilometers north of Fort St. John when his ATV rolled over a steep drop on a gravel road.
“I am devastated to learn that we have lost another wildfire fighter,” British Columbia Premier David Eby said in a statement according to Global News. “My heart goes out to the family, friends and colleagues of this front-line hero. On behalf of all British Columbians, we grieve this terrible news with you.”
This death follows three others in July in British Columbia, Alberta and the Northwest Territories:
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Firefighter Devyn Gale died on July 13 when she was struck by a falling tree while combating a wildfire near Revelstoke.
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On July 15, Firefighter Adam Yeadon died while fighting a blaze near Fort Liard, in the Northwest Territories north of the British Columbia boundary.
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Pilot Ryan Gould died near while fighting a wildfire northeast of Peace River in Alberta when his helicopter crashed on July 19.
Officials state there are 363 active wildfires in British Columbia and 191 blazes classified as out of control. This year there have been 1,517 wildfires in British Columbia, burning a record-breaking 15,397 square kilometers of trees, bush and grassland.