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Authorities say no survivors have been found after an aircraft helping to fight wildfires came down with three people aboard about 50 km from Fort Simpson.
In a statement on Thursday afternoon, police said the Turbo Commander 960 aircraft crashed on Wednesday evening. NWT Fire has said the plane was working on wildfire FS009, west of the village.
“The RCMP attended the scene and did not locate any survivors. The NWT Coroner Service is engaged and investigating. The RCMP is assisting in recovering the occupants,” police stated.
NWT Fire stated: “With profound sadness, we confirm that three people lost their lives in the Bird Dog aircraft crash west of Fort Simpson.
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“Responders accessed the crash site and confirmed the fatalities today.
“Our organization is grieving alongside the families, friends, colleagues, and the broader wildfire community as we process this unthinkable loss.”
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada said it had dispatched investigators to the scene.
What happened to cause the crash is not clear. The names of the people involved have not yet been made public.
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Flight tracking data shows a Buffalo Airways-owned aircraft matching the description provided by RCMP was in the area the agencies described on Wednesday evening. Its last position was recorded at roughly 6:30pm MT.
“Buffalo Airways is working closely with Transport Canada, the Transportation Safety Board, the RCMP, and the GNWT Department of Environment and Climate Change,” the company stated.
“At this time, we do not have any further updates to provide. We ask that our crews and our company be given the space needed to support the investigation.”
“To support the well-being of our personnel, Critical Incident Stress Management Specialists are being mobilized to bases to help staff process these events,” NWT Fire stated.
Late on Wednesday, NWT Fire reported one of its bird dog aircraft had been involved in a “serious incident” near the village.
A bird dog is a small lead plane that usually acts as a command and coordination hub during aerial wildfire fighting.
The planes often fly ahead of air tankers to assess fire behaviour, develop attack strategies and guide tankers.
As of early Thursday, fire FS009 was burning in the Martin Hills west of Fort Simpson. The fire, naturally caused, was reported to have reached 100 hectares in size and was under initial attack from fire crews.
Firefighters are also working on fire FS011 between the Liard River and Highway 7 south of the Checkpoint intersection with Highway 1, while fire FS010 is about 40 km north of Nahanni Butte.
Fort Simpson issued a fresh fire ban on Wednesday.
