B.C. wildfire fighter, 19, died after being hit by falling tree while responding to blaze: RCMP | CBC News

A young wildfire fighter who died in British Columbia’s southern Interior on Thursday was struck by a falling tree while responding to a fire, according to RCMP.

A statement Friday said the wildland firefighter was clearing brush near a small fire in a remote area outside Revelstoke, B.C., when she was trapped beneath the tree.

CBC News has confirmed the identity of the firefighter as 19-year-old Devyn Gale.

RCMP said she was airlifted to Queen Victoria Hospital in Revelstoke, where she died from her injuries.

“You have this young 19-year-old who’s obviously trying to keep her community and, really, the province safe … we don’t necessarily expect this kind of thing to happen but it’s a reminder of the inherent risk of this type of work,” RCMP Cpl. James Grandy said in an interview, adding that the area in which the fire is burning is “extremely dangerous.”

“It’s commendable that these folks are out there doing this type of thing, keeping communities safe from wildfire but obviously we have to be cognizant of the risks that they’re all taking in doing so.”

Condolences from fellow firefighters, community leaders and government officials poured in across the country after Gale’s death. 

In a tweet Friday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the loss was “heartbreaking.”

“We must never forget the risks these heroes take every time they run toward the danger,” the statement said.

The B.C. Wildfire Service (BCWS) confirmed the woman’s death, but did not say which fire she was battling. As of Friday morning, there are three wildfires burning within 50 kilometres of Revelstoke, a mountain community about 150 kilometres west of the Alberta border.

Mounties said it was Gale’s colleagues who found her beneath the tree and started first aid after losing contact with her during the call. 

“I know the B.C. Wildfire Service is a close-knit team and this loss is felt deeply. We are here to support them in this difficult time. Let us all do our part to prevent wildfires and think of these brave firefighters as they continue to battle what is becoming a very challenging wildfire season,” B.C. Forests Minister Bruce Ralston said in a statement.

RCMP and WorkSafeBC are investigating. Grandy said Mounties will be trying to gather any evidence, but noted there’s nothing to suggest there was any criminal element in Gale’s death.

“It just seems like it was a really unfortunate accident at this point,” the officer said.

Gale’s death is the fourth linked to B.C. wildfires in the past 13 years.

John Phare, 60, was killed in 2015 while working on a blaze on the Sunshine Coast, northwest of Vancouver. Two air tanker pilots, Tim Whiting and Brian Tilley, died when their plane went down south of Lytton in 2010.