A volunteer firefighter is dead following a rollover during the fire-fighting effort near Burstall, Sask., which was an area hit by a rapidly moving wildfire.
RCMP were called to the scene on a grid road about 10 kilometres south of Burstall, where a 34-year-old man’s large water-tanker truck lost control and rolled over.
READ MORE: Firefighter dies battling wildfire near Hilda in southern Alberta
The crash happened around midnight Tuesday and the deceased was the lone occupant.
The man was from Walsh, Alta., and worked with a group of Cypress Country fire crews from Alberta who were assisting with the Saskatchewan fire fight, RCMP said.
According to RCMP, it remains unclear whether fire or smoke in the area were factors in the rollover.
Following the initial collision, police say a second vehicle crashed in the area. The driver suffered minor injuries.
RCMP members were on scene conducting collision re-construction Wednesday.
Police also assisted in the response to two men who were hurt while fighting a fire in the Tompkins area. Both sustained serious injuries and were taken to Medicine Hat and later Calgary for treatment.
The 43-year-old and 27-year-old men were fighting a fire on their own land, according to police.
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Police didn’t disclose what community the injured people are from.
READ MORE: Wildfire threat contained in western Saskatchewan
In the Richmound area, provincial officials received reports of three affected farms. One home was reported damaged in Tompkins, along with one barn and one shed.
One rural residence in the Burstall area was impacted, but officials didn’t confirm the extent of the damage.
“It was quite chaotic yesterday, with the fire occurring overnight, it was very difficult to get any type of visual on what was burning,” said Ray Unrau, director of operations for Emergency Management and Fire Safety branch of the Saskatchewan government.
Wildfires in the area were contained by around 7:30 p.m. CT Tuesday.
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