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Two wildfire crew members injured in ‘treefall’ incident in Hay River

Two members of the crew fighting the wildfire in Hay River are reportedly doing well after being hurt earlier this month.
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Flames are seen among the already-burned forest in the Hay River area earlier this month. Two firefighters were hurt during an operation after part of a tree fell on them. They received treatment and are doing well, according to Mike Westwick, wildfire information officer with the Department of Environment and Climate Change. Photo courtesy of GNWT

Two members of the crew fighting the wildfire in Hay River are reportedly doing well after being hurt earlier this month.

Mike Westwick, wildfire information officer with the Department of Environment and Climate Change, confirmed to NNSL Media that the pair sustained minor injuries after part of a tree fell on them during an operation.

Westwick stated that both received treatment and are doing well. He also stated that the GNWT has been in contact with the injured crew members on a regular basis to make sure they’re doing well.

“All of this underlines the hazards involved in wildfire operations,” he added. “Safety is paramount in our work, and take any incident that occurs extremely seriously.”

Westwick stated that the Workers Safety and Compensation Commission and safety personnel have opened investigations into what happened and why.



About the Author: James McCarthy

I'm the managing editor with NNSL Media and have been so since 2022.
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