Close X
Friday, November 29, 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

Faith of Canadians in Biden, U.S. slipped in the spring, Pew survey suggests

Faith of Canadians in Biden, U.S. slipped in the spring, Pew survey suggests
But there are clear signs — both in Canada and around the world — that early into his third year as the 46th U.S. president, the global euphoria that greeted Joe Biden's election win in 2020 has drifted from optimism to apprehension. 

Faith of Canadians in Biden, U.S. slipped in the spring, Pew survey suggests

Coquitlam RCMP need public's help in locating missing man Harman Dhaliwal

Coquitlam RCMP need public's help in locating missing man Harman Dhaliwal
Coquitlam RCMP is asking for the public’s assistance in locating a missing man, 32-year old Harman Dhaliwal. Harman was last seen on Sunday, June 25, 2023 leaving his residence near Como Lake Avenue and Blue Mountain Street in Coquitlam at 10:00 a.m.  

Coquitlam RCMP need public's help in locating missing man Harman Dhaliwal

David Eby resists early vote in B.C. despite big byelection wins for NDP

David Eby resists early vote in B.C. despite big byelection wins for NDP
Eby says although his party's candidates did "exceptionally well" on Saturday in the ridings of Vancouver-Mount Pleasant and Langford-Juan de Fuca on Vancouver Island, he'll stick with the fixed election date in October 2024.

David Eby resists early vote in B.C. despite big byelection wins for NDP

B.C. moved ahead with ending letter grades despite parent, teacher, student concerns

B.C. moved ahead with ending letter grades despite parent, teacher, student concerns
Education Minister Rachna Singh said last week that about half of all public school districts have already tested and adopted the new reporting style during a modernization of curriculum that started in 2016, while the rest would implement the change this September.

B.C. moved ahead with ending letter grades despite parent, teacher, student concerns

Province announces 100K in mental health for South Asians

Province announces 100K in mental health for South Asians
The funding will support three part-time outreach workers and others who will engage South Asians who are homeless or at risk of being homeless. The supports are expected to help between 50 and 75 people who use drugs as well as 150 to 200 family members.  

Province announces 100K in mental health for South Asians

Thousands mourn Sikh leader's funeral

Thousands mourn Sikh leader's funeral
Thousands of mourners from the Sikh community descended upon the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara in Surrey on Sunday morning, to pay respects to the Gurdwara president, Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Nijjar was shot mutliple times a week ago in the parking lot of the Gurdwara and killed in his truck.

Thousands mourn Sikh leader's funeral