Four firefighters travelling home after battling British Columbia's wildfires have died in a road crash. Premier David Eby and Forests Minister Bruce Ralston say in a joint statement the firefighters died in a motor vehicle accident near Cache Creek, B.C. Ralston, speaks in Vancouver, on Wednesday Jan. 22, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
CACHE CREEK, B.C. – Four young men travelling home after helping in the battle against wildfires in central British Columbia are dead after a fiery head-on crash, police and provincial officials said Wednesday.
RCMP Cpl. James Grandy said the crash happened on Highway 1 east of Cache Creek in the province’s southern Interior early Tuesday morning.
A provincial statement said the men were heading home after aiding wildfire response efforts in the Vanderhoof area, west of Prince George.
Grandy said the initial investigation suggests a Ford F-350 pick-up truck the young men were travelling in had failed to navigate a bend in the highway and slammed head-on into a semi-truck travelling in the opposite direction.
The semi-truck caught fire, but the driver was able to escape before the vehicle was “engulfed,” the Mounties said in a statement.
All four men inside the pick-up truck died at the scene. They have been identified as subcontractors for the BC Wildfire Service, police said.
Premier David Eby and Forests Minister Bruce Ralston issued a joint statement saying their hearts are broken by the news of the deaths of the workers.
“This is devastating news in what has been an immensely difficult wildfire season. We stand with wildfire fighters and all BC Wildfire Service personnel as they mourn the death of colleagues and co-workers yet again.”
The deaths bring to six the number of wildfire personnel who have died this season in the province.
In July, 25-year-old Zak Muise died in a vehicle accident while fighting a massive fire in northern B.C.
Two weeks before that, 19-year-old Devyn Gale was killed by a falling tree near her hometown of Revelstoke.
Grandy said a stretch of Highway 1 has reopened after closing for the initial investigation into Tuesday’s crash that involved the BC Coroners Service and an RCMP collision reconstructionist.
Despite the early indications, he said the exact cause of the crash will have to wait until the results of the completed investigation.
Grandy said he’s not entirely familiar with the specific location on the highway, but he understands the route is winding in the area.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 20, 2023.
