Close X
Monday, November 11, 2024
ADVT 
National

Fundraiser honours firefighter who died in B.C.

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 02 Aug, 2023 11:50 AM
  • Fundraiser honours firefighter who died in B.C.

Photo courtesy of Facebook (Zack Muise)

The young Ontario firefighter who died last week in British Columbia has been identified as Zak Muise in an online obituary and a tribute by the firefighting contractor he worked for.

Big Cat Wildfire shared a photo of Muise in his uniform and called him a "vital member" of one of its crews.

The 25-year-old died Friday as he helped battle the massive Donnie Creek wildfire in northeastern B.C.

RCMP have said he was killed when his heavy-duty ATV rolled over a steep drop on a gravel road in a remote area about 150 kilometres north of Fort St. John.

A brief online obituary posted on the website of a Waterford, Ont., funeral home in the name of his family says Muise is survived by his parents and five older siblings.

It says Muise was "loved by many," and the family is grateful to all firefighters and other first responders "who are still fighting."

It says a funeral is scheduled for later this month in Simcoe, Ont., and that a public memorial in B.C. is also being planned.

A fundraiser for the Canadian Critical Incident Stress Foundation has been launched in Muise's honour.

The organization provides support, education and training for first responders, veterans and their families and runs a camp for families and children coping with loss.

Muise was a contracted firefighter working to fight the nearly 6,000-square-kilometre Donnie Creek blaze in the province's northeast — the biggest wildfire in B.C.'s history.

Muise's Instagram page shows him enjoying time outdoors with family and friends, camping, snowboarding and golfing.

Muise is the fourth Canadian firefighter to die this year fighting wildfires, and the second to die in B.C.

On July 13, 19-year-old Devyn Gale died while combating a wildfire near her hometown of Revelstoke, B.C., after she was struck by a falling tree.

"Our hearts go out to all the families of fallen firefighters," Muise's obituary says.

MORE National ARTICLES

Man dies in Coquitlam shooting

Man dies in Coquitlam shooting
R-C-M-P officers were called to the Foster Avenue and North Road area shortly before 9:30 p-m, where they found a man with gunshot wounds. The man died at the scene.

Man dies in Coquitlam shooting

Possible B.C. port strike will spare cruise ships, employers say

Possible B.C. port strike will spare cruise ships, employers say
A possible strike by British Columbia port workers will not disrupt cruise ships docked in Vancouver, Prince Rupert or Vancouver Island, employers say. The BC Maritime Employers Association says it and the union representing cargo loaders have "confirmed" that cruise ships will continue to be serviced if a strike starts Saturday morning.

Possible B.C. port strike will spare cruise ships, employers say

Union for SkyTrain workers reaches tentative five-year deal with BC Rapid Transit

Union for SkyTrain workers reaches tentative five-year deal with BC Rapid Transit
The union for more than 1,000 employees of Metro Vancouver's SkyTrain service says it has reached a tentative five-year deal with the BC Rapid Transit Co. CUPE 7000 says the new deal was reached after 10 days of negotiations, and includes future wage increases and improved benefits over the last contract. 

Union for SkyTrain workers reaches tentative five-year deal with BC Rapid Transit

Alcohol gets green light on transit in Victoria

Alcohol gets green light on transit in Victoria
B-C Transit had banned alcohol on buses on Canada Day, saying the policy was to ensure customer and driver safety. Signs posted about the zero-alcohol policy told passengers that they might be searched to make sure they are following the rules.

Alcohol gets green light on transit in Victoria

Small plane crash south of Downtown Vancouver

Small plane crash south of Downtown Vancouver
Details are sparse, but investigators with the Transportation Safety Board have been sent to an accident scene involving a small plane south of downtown Vancouver. The accident at the Boundary Bay Airport involved a privately registered Mooney M-20-R single-engine plane .  

Small plane crash south of Downtown Vancouver

RCMP says Lytton wildfire probe still active, two years after village's destruction

RCMP says Lytton wildfire probe still active, two years after village's destruction
The Village of Lytton and the Thompson-Nicola Regional District are suing Canadian National and Canadian Pacific railways and Transport Canada, alleging they were negligent to let trains pass through the town during the heat dome. The district says the claim was brought on its behalf by its insurer, the Municipal Insurance Association of B.C.

RCMP says Lytton wildfire probe still active, two years after village's destruction