A memorial procession and service will begin Saturday afternoon for 19-year-old Devyn Gale, who died last week fighting a bushfire near Revelstoke, BC.
The BC Forest Fire Service says the procession in Revelstoke will begin at 12:45 pm PT at the local fire rescue services building. It will include Gale’s BC Wildfire Service colleagues, a color party, an honor guard and representatives from first aid agencies.
Breaking: will broadcast the event live.
Gale died after becoming trapped under a tree while clearing brush near a small fire in a remote area on the outskirts of Revelstoke on July 13.
The RCMP said Gale’s colleagues found her under the tree and started first aid after losing contact with her during the call. She was airlifted to Queen Victoria Hospital in Revelstoke, where she died of her injuries.
Gale is the first firefighter to die in BC in nearly a decade. The BC Forest Fire Service did not say which fire he was fighting when he died.
As of Saturday morning, three wildfires were burning within a 50-kilometer radius of Revelstoke, a mountainous community about 150 kilometers west of the Alberta border.
RCMP and WorkSafeBC are investigating the teen’s death.
Nearly 500 international firefighters are helping 2,000 provincial staff on the front lines battling more than 400 fires across BC on Saturday.
