The community of Cranbrook is mourning the passing of a prominent firefighter, who was one of two people killed in a highway crash in southeastern B.C.
Clayton Murrell was driving a pickup truck towing a horse trailer that was struck head-on by a tractor-trailer. He was trapped in his vehicle and died at the scene, as did both horses in the trailer.
Murrell’s partner, Joan MacKinnon, was a passenger in the truck and was airlifted to hospital in critical condition.
Police said the driver of the tractor trailer, a 59-year-old Edmonton man, was ejected from the truck and died at the scene.
The crash, which occurred near the community of Yahk, closed Highway 3/95 in both directions for several hours on Saturday.
Murrell was a captain with the Cranbrook Fire Department. Last year, he received a British Columbia Long Service Medal for 25 years of service as a firefighter.
“Clayton will be remembered for his kindness, as being a gentle soul and for his professionalism,” the City of Cranbrook said in a statement.
— With files from The Canadian Press