Memorial procession to be held for Ont. wildfire fighter killed in B.C.
CBC
A memorial procession will be held on Wednesday for Zak Muise, the contracted wildfire fighter who died while on the frontlines of a blaze in northeast B.C.
The 25-year-old, who was originally from Ontario, died on July 28 as he helped battle the Donnie Creek wildfire, the largest in the province's recorded history.
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.
Muise was originally from Waterford, a town in southern Ontario's Norfolk County, according to Mayor Amy Martin.
A brief online obituary posted on the website of a Waterford, Ont., funeral home says Muise is survived by his parents and five older siblings.
It says Muise was "loved by many," and his family is grateful to all firefighters and other first responders "who are still fighting."
The procession on Wednesday will be held in the southern Interior community of Penticton, B.C. at 1 p.m. PT, ending at the city's Skaha Lake Park.
It is set to include RCMP, the Penticton Fire Department, and Muise's wildland firefighting company, along with members of his family.
Muise was a contracted firefighter working for Bigcat Wildfire, an organization based out of Summerland, B.C.
"He was a pleasure to be around," Mike Smesman, the owner of Bigcat Wildfire, told CBC News. "Just an all-around great person that really cared about his community and wanted to make a difference, and make an impact."
Smesman said B.C.'s firefighting community is very tight-knit, and he hoped the Wednesday ceremony would bring them even closer as they remember Muise's life.
"It's just a lot for anybody to have to deal with," he said. "Hopefully, we can all grow and learn and move on, move forward with our lives after this."
Muise was the fourth Canadian wildfire fighter to die while on duty amid a record-breaking season, and the second to die in B.C.
On July 13, 19-year-old Devyn Gale died when she was struck by a falling tree while helping fight a fire near Revelstoke.
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