By Canadian Press

Pilot fighting wildfires killed in helicopter crash in northern Alberta

Jul 20, 2023 | 1:20 PM

PEACE RIVER, Alta. – Mounties say a pilot killed in a helicopter crash while fighting wildfires was a 41-year-old man from Whitecourt, Alta.

RCMP say forestry workers were trying to resuscitate him when officers arrived on scene last night in a remote area northeast of Peace River.

The pilot was taken to a nearby airport where he was declared dead.

RCMP did not release the name of the pilot.

They say they are not providing further details since Transportation Safety Board investigators are en route to the scene.

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A spokesman with the TSB says the downed aircraft is currently in a marshy area near Haig Lake, roughly 140 kilometres northeast of Peace River.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said during a visit to Belleville, Ont., that it’s heartbreaking to have lost three people involved in fighting wildfires in recent days.

Last week, a 19-year-old firefighter died after a tree fell in British Columbia.

Another firefighter died Saturday while fighting a wildfire near his home in Fort Liard, Northwest Territories.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 20, 2023.

The Canadian Press