A wildland fire employee lost his life while battling the Jasper blaze over the weekend.
According to a media release, “RCMP were notified of a serious injury sustained to an Alberta Wildland Fire Employee from a falling tree while fighting an active fire northeast of Jasper.”
It happened at about 2:15pm on Saturday (August 3rd).
Police say the firefighter was extracted from the scene by STARS Air Ambulance and has been declared deceased.
Mounties have provided information which notes that the deceased was a resident of Calgary and based out of the Rocky Mountain House Fire Base.
RCMP express their heartfelt condolences to the family, friends, and co-workers of the deceased.
The media release also states that occupational Health and Safety has been notified and will be investigating.
In light of Saturday’s tragic events, Alberta’s government postponed bus tours of the community for displaced residents which were set to take place on Sunday by 24 hours.
The Alberta wildfire information update on Sunday went on to say the provincial government is deeply saddened by the tragic loss of a wildland firefighter during the wildfire response operations in the Jasper area and support is being provided to the firefighters affected by this incident.