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 firefighters, all young men, travelling home after battling British Columbia’s wildfires have died in a head-on crash, RCMP said Wednesday.
Mounties said the crash happened on Highway 1 near Cache Creek in B.C.’s Cariboo region early Tuesday morning.
Police said the firefighters’ Ford F-350 pick-up truck failed to navigate a turn and slammed head-on into a semi-truck coming in the opposite direction.
The semi caught fire, but the driver was able to escape. The four men inside the Ford all died at the scene, police said in a statement.
Premier David Eby and Forests Minister Bruce Ralston said in a joint statement that their hearts are broken by the news of the deaths of the contracted 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 firefighters who have died this wildfire 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., and 19-year-old Devyn Gale was killed by a falling tree near Revelstoke.
RCMP Cpl. James Grandy said the highway was shut down for an initial investigation that involved the BC Coroners Service and an RCMP collision reconstructionist.
He said they’ll have to wait for the results of the investigation to establish the exact cause.
Grandy said he’s not entirely familiar with the specific location on the highway, but he understands the road is “very windy” in the area.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 20, 2023.
