Northwest Territories firefighter dies in wildfire near home
FORT LIARD, NWT — A firefighter has died fighting a wildfire near his home community in the Northwest Territories.
The territorial government issued a statement saying the firefighter of Fort Liard, a hamlet north of the border with British Columbia, died from an injury sustained while fighting a nearby fire on Saturday afternoon.
Wildfire Information Officer Jessica Davey-Quantick said the firefighter was involved in fighting a blaze that began July 7 in the Fort Liard District and is currently about 16 miles southeast of the hamlet.
She said no other information about the firefighter will be released until family members are notified. The RCMP and the Coroner’s Office have been contacted, the territory reports.
Fort Liard Mayor Genevieve McLeod said word began circulating in the community late Saturday afternoon that an accident had occurred. At first it was only thought that someone was injured and there was no word on who it was.
“Much of the community went to the airport to meet the helicopter,” McLeod said in a telephone interview.
“They brought in the individuals from the wildfire they were fighting and then everyone found out.”
McLeod, too, would not identify the deceased firefighter, noting that he had a large family and that some, who lived in the south, may not have heard the devastating news.
“He was a big part of our community — young and hardworking. He has a young family,” she says.
The firefighter’s death comes just three days after another Canadian was killed fighting wildfires. Devyn Gale died Thursday after a tree fell on her near Revelstoke, BC
RCMP has said the 19-year-old’s team lost contact with her before finding her. Her death is now being investigated by police, the BC Coroners Service, WorkSafeBC and the BC Wildfire Service, Mounties said.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tweeted that he was “unbelievably saddened” by the death of another firefighter.
“To their families, their friends and those they heroically worked with, Canadians will keep you in our thoughts. We’re here for you,” Trudeau said on Twitter on Sunday.
The fire near Fort Liard, which is listed on the area’s wildfire update website as caused by lightning and is about 0.1 square miles in size, does not currently pose a threat to the hamlet.
“I want to extend my deepest condolences to everyone affected by this tragedy,” Shane Thompson, the area’s environment secretary and member of the area’s legislature, said in a tweet on Sunday.
“Firefighters across the area have my utmost respect for their continued efforts to protect our homes and our communities while facing such extreme conditions.”
Thompson also called the tragedy “an unimaginable loss” to those who knew the firefighter, as well as “a huge loss to the community”.
The Northwest Territories Wildfire Bureau said there were 89 active wildfires across the area as of Saturday evening.
More than 8,000 square kilometers have burned in the area so far this year. Across Canada, figures from the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Center show that more than 100,000 square kilometers have been scorched this season, an area roughly the size of Lake Ontario, Lake Erie and Lake Michigan combined.
Davey-Quantick said there are many firefighters shared between provinces and territories in a typical season, but this year was different because so many fires have burned across Canada.
“Most of our crews are predominantly local. A lot of them actually fight fires outside of their own communities,” Davey-Quantick said, noting that the area offers a lot of training.
“There’s a huge amount of respect for firefighters because we know they’re protecting our communities and they’re protecting and protecting us.”
This report from The Canadian Press was first published on July 16, 2023.
— By Rob Drinkwater in Edmonton
