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Three people are dead after a plane responding to a wildfire near Fort Simpson, N.W.T., crashed on Wednesday evening.
N.W.T. Fire said in a news release Thursday afternoon that responders went to the crash site and confirmed the deaths.
“Our organization is grieving alongside the families, friends, colleagues, and the broader wildfire community as we process this unthinkable loss,” Mike Westwick, the manager of wildfire prevention and mitigation, said in the release.
“We will honour those who lost their lives in the line of duty at the appropriate time and in accordance with the wishes of their families,” Westwick added.
The RCMP said they are helping to recover the deceased and the N.W.T coroner’s office is also investigating.
RCMP said in a news release Thursday that they learned of the plane crash around 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday.
The plane involved was a fixed wing Turbo Commander 690 Bird Dog 104. Bird dog aircraft are small, typically single-engine planes that carry crew who direct air traffic near a fire and coordinate the airtankers.
In a Facebook post Thursday, Yellowknife-based Buffalo Airways said the crash involved one of its planes.
“It is with heavy hearts that we confirm the loss of one of our Aerial Firefighting pilots while actioning a forest fire west of Fort Simpson,” the post said.
The airline said it’s “mourning heroes who were fighting in the line of duty.”
N.W.T. Fire said the aircraft was working on a fire identified as FS009 — a naturally-caused fire 100 hectares in size discovered Wednesday evening in the Martin Hills area near Fort Simpson.
N.W.T. Fire and the RCMP did not provide any details about the crash.
RCMP said the Transportation Safety Board (TSB) is leading the investigation.
Jon Lee, a spokesperson with the TSB, said the agency was notified of the incident Wednesday night and was deploying two investigators to the area.
He said the TSB had few details about the incident.
Fort Simpson Mayor Les Wright issued a written statement on Thursday afternoon, offering condolences to the family, friends and co-workers of the three people killed and paying tribute to the deceased.
“These heroic individuals made the ultimate sacrifice while actively protecting our community, our homes, and the lives of every resident in our area,” the statement reads.
“There are no words sufficient to express the profound gratitude we owe them, nor the deep sorrow we feel at their passing.”
N.W.T. Fire said the safety and well-being of its “interconnected fire family” comes first right now. The agency is sending critical incident stress management specialists to its bases to “help staff process these events,” its statement read.
This isn’t the first time N.W.T. Fire has lost crew members in the line of duty. In 2023, firefighter Adam Yeadon was killed while fighting a fire near his community of Fort Liard, after he was struck by a falling poplar tree. The following year, pilot Tom Frith was killed during wildfire operations in Fort Good Hope when his helicopter crashed.
