Array
(
    [ff_id] => 776
    [first_name] => Ian
    [nickname] => 
    [middle_name] => Charles
    [last_name] => Wright
    [category] => Wildland Firefighter
    [employment] => Wildland
    [rank] => Pilot
    [birth_date] => 1940-05-07
    [joined_date] => 
    [death_date] => 1973-04-17
    [funeral_date] => 
    [cemetary] => Hazelwood Cemetery, Abbotsford BC
    [age] => 32
    [department] => 
    [station] => 
    [city] => 
    [province] => British Columbia
    [incident_location] => Lillooet
    [incident_province] => British Columbia
    [cause] => 
    [circumstances] => 
Helicopter Crash (with Hamblin & Wood)

    [url] => 
    [other] => 
    [wsib_rec_date] => 
    [date_entered] => 2005-10-14
    [source] => Paul Buxton-Carr, James MacKinnon
    [note] => 
    [ceremony] => 
    [photo] => 
    [panel_number] => 24
    [story_EN] => 
Tragedy at Pine Point

By James MacKinnon, CFFF Wildland Director

Pine Point, Northwest Territories, was a bustling, zinc mining community of just over two thousand people in the mid 1970’s, first settled in 1952 but becoming an established settlement in 1963. In the summer of 1971, fifteen hundred residents were packed and ready to flee as a wildfire burned on their doorsteps. Pine Point then became the focal point of a desperate effort to save the town. Six men would lose their lives in three separate tragic accidents while fighting the wildfire known coincidentally, as Fire 6. It is Canada’s largest loss of wildland firefighters on a single wildfire.

The southern Northwest Territories was suffering from severe drought conditions in the summer of 1971. On the night of Monday, August 2nd, a massive electrical storm intensified an already critical forest fire situation. Reports from the radio room at MacKenzie’s Forest District office stated that the number of identified wildfires was up to 221. The lightning struck across a 300-mile-wide strip of tinder-dry forest in the southern MacKenzie area and many more wildfires were expected. There were over 300 men already fighting the fires in the Territories and dozens of aircraft engaged in water bombing operations. Forestry officials were concerned with a major wildfire burning in the Fort Smith and Pine Point areas where a number of fires had joined together.

On July 26th, Modeste Robillard from Fort Chipewyan, Alberta, was hired by the MacKenzie Forest Service as a firefighter to join a crew that was fighting the wildfire on the outskirts of Pine Point. Twelve days later, on August 7th, Modeste celebrated his 61st birthday while on the fireline. Modeste was affectionately nicknamed “Old Man Moe” by his crew. He was a natural leader and this wasn’t the first wildfire he fought in the northern boreal forest. While stopping work for a meal break at approximately 7:15pm on Saturday, August 14th, reports came in that the pump was running dry and the fire was now threatening their fire guard. Moe grabbed a shovel and immediately started out for the fireline with a five-man crew following a few minutes behind him. As they neared the fireline area, the two men following closest behind him saw a tree starting to fall and hollered out a warning. Moe didn’t see the tree and he didn’t hear the warning. He was unconscious on the ground when they reached him. Firefighter Jackson Whiteknife started first aid immediately but seeing the extent of Moe’s injuries, they called for the helicopter that had just landed at their camp. Jackson and two others carried Moe to the helicopter and with Jackson staying onboard, the pilot immediately started out for the Fort Smith hospital. Sadly, Moe died while enroute to the hospital, with Jackson by his side.

Nineteen-year-old Richard Beaulieu and his brother George of Paddle Prairie, Alberta, were employed by the Alberta Forest Service and were on export to support the firefighting efforts in NWT. On Monday, August 30th, they were heading to the Pine Point wildfire. At approximately 12pm, they, along with two other firefighters, were being transported by a small 206 Cessna on floats to Fire 6. The plane had flown from another fire in Caribou Hills and landed on the Slave River at the fire base camp. As the plane taxied up to the dock, Richard, who was sitting by the door, was asked to get out and stand on the pontoon and get ready to tie off the plane to the dock. Having never done this before, Richard was unsure of the procedure and when he moved past the wing strut the pilot desperately tried to shut off the engine but Richard was struck and killed instantly by the invisible spinning propeller.

Two days later, on Wednesday, September 1st, at 8:30am the Ministry of Transport Accident Investigator enroute to the scene of Richard’s accident, coincidentally met Peter Kuryluk at the Edmonton City Centre Airport, who was also enroute to the Pine Point wildfire. They sat together on the Pacific Western flight and parted company at noon after landing in Fort Smith. A few hours later the investigator would be at the scene of Peter’s death.

Peter, an experienced pilot, was the co-owner of Northwestern Air Lease Ltd. which had a Canso water bomber working Fire 6. The Canso CF-HTN, was piloted by Gordon Hales, a licensed pilot from Vancouver. Peter would meet up with Gordon and co-pilot for him on his water bombing operation that afternoon. A second Canso water bomber, CF-IDS, piloted by William Koshylanyk of Prince Albert, and his co-pilot, Peter Willms also of Prince Albert, were called up from standby in Rocky Mountain House, Alberta, to engage in water bombing the same wildfire. The two planes would work together and were in the air and dropping water on the fire at approximately 2:00pm.

Shortly before 2:00pm a helicopter engaged in the firefighting support operations for Fire 6 encountered flight difficulties and crashed. Several firefighters in the area heard the noise of the crash and rushed to the scene. Jackson Whiteknife was one of them and while the others beat back the grass fire set by the downed helicopter, he rendered first aid to the injured pilot, Mike Hofius, who was in serious condition. At approximately 2:20pm, Ian Wright, flying a second helicopter that was also engaged in support operations saw the group of firefighters waving to him from the crashed helicopter and was able to land close-by. Realizing he couldn’t transport Mike because of his injuries that included two broken legs, Ian reassured him that everything would be okay and he left to get help from the base camp. Meantime, the Canso CF-HTN, with Gordon and Peter K. had just dropped its water when they witnessed the helicopter crash and headed in that direction. Gordon called in the Mayday to base camp and began circling the downed helicopter at a low level, watching the wreckage, and deciding what was needed. The Canso CF-IDS, with William and Peter W. came in on its established bombing run, dropped its water and proceeded in the direction of the crashed helicopter. But in their concern for the injured helicopter pilot, both water bomber crews lost visual contact and subsequently were on converging paths. None of them saw the other bomber in sufficient time to take evasive action and the unthinkable happened. Eyewitnesses reported seeing their wings collide and both aircraft went straight down. All four pilots: Peter Willms, age 28; William Koshylanyk, age 44; Peter Kuryluk, age 35; and Gordon Hales, age 43, perished on impact.

Mike Hofius survived the helicopter crash but spent months recovering in hospital in Edmonton. Sadly, Ian Wright would die two years later in British Colombia while piloting a helicopter over a wildfire. Two other wildland firefighters would die with him that day. Jackson Whiteknife, known by many as Jackie, was commended for rendering first aid in two separate accidents during the Pine Point wildfire.

Recommendations made following the inquest included changes to proper personal protective equipment for firefighters and changes to the water bombing procedure in NWT to include water bombers flying with a birddog aircraft to provide air coordination.

Ironically, the town these men sacrificed their lives for no longer exists. Pine Point is now a ghost town. It simply disappeared in the late 1980’s after the zinc mining operation shut down. It exists today only as vacant streets, a cemetery, and in the memories of its former residents proudly known as Pine Pointers.

Until recently, Modeste Robillard’s name was unknown to the wildland firefighting community and the CFFF. In September 2022, fifty-one years after his death, Moe’s name will be added to the Memorial Wall in Ottawa to be honoured and remembered alongside the five other men who died fighting the Pine Point wildfire.

 Gone but not forgotten.

(Information for this story came from the mid-air collision inquest, written statements from eyewitnesses, and newspaper articles. A special thank-you to Matthew Coyle with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources in NWT for digging through old files and documents.

These brave firefighters have been permanently honored at the Canadian Firefighter Memorial with Modeste Robillard being added in 2022.

Richard Beaulieu – National Memorial Location 22

Peter Kuryluk - National Memorial Location 21

Peter Willms - National Memorial Location 21

William Koshylanyk - National Memorial Location 21

Gordon Hales - National Memorial Location 21

    [story_FR] => 
    [is_live] => 1
    [dod] => 1973-04-17
)