A 74-year-old rancher is in a Calgary hospital, recovering from severe burns he suffered in a crash during the Alberta and Saskatchewan wildfires on Oct. 17.
Ed Riehl, who has homes in Medicine Hat, Alta. and Richmound, Sask., was driving a pickup truck that collided with a water truck being driven by volunteer firefighter James Hargrave.
Hargrave died in the crash, about 10 kilometers south of Burstall, Sask.
Riehl’s son Kevin Riehl told Global News his dad was trying to move his cattle from the fire at the time.
He said it was so dark, his dad just followed the lights of Hargrave’s truck.
Riehl said his dad had skin grafting surgery over the weekend and will require a lengthy stay in hospital.
He estimated people in the area lost at least 500 head of cattle in the wildfire.
Neighbours of Ed and his wife Arlene have set up a GoFundMe account to help the couple with their expenses.
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