'We owe them a lot': 3 killed while fighting wildfire in N.W.T.
People across the Northwest Territories are mourning the loss of three people killed in a plane crash near Fort Simpson, N.W.T., this week.
The crash happened Wednesday as the three were responding to a wildfire in the area. Officials have not yet named the deceased.
“You know, anybody that runs towards the fire is something special, and we owe them a lot,” said Kele Antoine, chief of Łı́ı́dlı̨ı̨ Kų́ę́ First Nation which is based in Fort Simpson. “Incidents like this remind us of the risks faced by those who work to protect our lands in our communities.”
A wildfire near Norman Wells, N.W.T., earlier this month. On Wednesday, 3 people were killed when a plane crashed while fighting a wildfire near Fort Simpson, N.W.T. Officials have not yet named the deceased. (N.W.T. Fire/Facebook)
Antoine says everyone in his community has been affected by the crash.
“I'm really worried about the families. I'm really worried about our people that were in the radio room that had to deal with this,” he said. “I hope they get the help they need to start the process of healing from a trauma like this.”
It’s a sentiment that was echoed by Prime Minister Mark Carney in a statement on Thursday offering condolences to the victims' families.
“Protecting Canadians from wildfires requires profound sacrifice and courage. We owe them our deepest gratitude,” Carney wrote in a social media post.
Mike Westwick, the N.W.T.'s manager of wildfire prevention and mitigation, says that these are “tough days” for wildfire crews.
“Everybody's working hard to support each other to work their way through,” said Westwick.
'Everybody's working hard to support each other,' said N.W.T.'s manager of wildfire prevention and mitigation Mike Westwick, seen here in 2023. (CBC News )
It's not yet clear when there will be any definitive answers from the investigation into Wednesday’s crash.
But the immediate need for support, Westwick said, is already being addressed.
He said stress management professionals and specialists began arriving in the territory on Thursday and will continue to arrive throughout the weekend. Additionally, wildfire crew members from other parts of Canada and the private sector are being mobilized so northern crews are able to take time off to grieve.
“We want to make sure that our people are supported first,” said Westwick. “That's our first priority right now, assisting our people with their wellness, their safety and their well-being and resilience as they cope with another tragedy here in our territory.”
Three years ago, firefighter Adam Yeadon was killed while fighting a fire near his community of Fort Liard, N.W.T., also in the Dehcho region. It was the territory's first death of a wildland firefighter in the line of duty since 1971.
A year later, in 2024, pilot Tom Frith was killed in a helicopter crash near Fort Good Hope, N.W.T., in the Sahtu region, during wildfire operations.
Speaking to CBC News on Friday, N.W.T. Premier R.J. Simpson called this week's crash “too common of an occurrence."
"It is such a tragedy,” he said.
Simpson said that his government is always looking to improve the safety of people on the ground, especially during forest fire season.
Westwick also urged N.W.T. residents on Friday to be cautious to avoid causing new wildfires. Much of the territory is expected to continue to experience high heat and high fire danger going into the weekend.
“You know, the fact that this is hazardous work that real people from your communities have to go out and do, when there are those fires, that reality I think hit home [in] really stark ways with the events this week,” said Westwick.
“We really need people to take that responsibility that they have to the people in their community seriously, as we move forward into this weekend.”
Thumbnail courtesy of N.W.T. Fire/Facebook via CBC.
The story was originally written by Jessica Davey-Quantick and published for CBC News. It contains files from Shannon Scott.