VICTORIA -- A volunteer firefighter is dead after a barn fire Thursday west of Port Alberni.
The firefighter with the Sproat Lake Volunteer Fire Department suffered a medical emergency after arriving at the blaze Thursday night.
“Last night we lost one of our own," said Sproat Lake Volunteer Fire Chief Mike Cann in a statement Friday. "Our department grieves alongside of our member’s family and we must now come together to support his family and our members."
The firefighter was assisted at the scene and then transported to hospital by paramedics, where he died of his injuries, according to the Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District.
"We want to express our sincerest condolences to the member’s family and to all members and their families of the Sproat Lake Volunteer Fire Department," the district said in a statement. "We also want to thank all Alberni Valley first responders who supported our member in the line of duty."
The district went on to say that the man's absence from the department will be greatly missed.
The firefighter's identity is expected to be released by his family at a later date.
