The firefighter who died after being struck by a falling tree on Aug. 3 while fighting wildfires near Jasper, Alta., has been identified as Morgan Kitchen of Calgary.
In social media posts, family and friends say the 24-year-old was the fatally injured Alberta Wildlife crew member. The posts say Kitchen was a former member of both the Canadian Armed Forces and the British Royal Marines.
Kitchen was a resident of Calgary and based out of the Rocky Mountain House fire base.
According to the Jasper Wildfire Complex Unified Command, which is comprised of members of both Parks Canada and the Municipality of Jasper, the incident happened around 2 p.m. MT.
The firefighter’s crew provided first aid before Jasper National Park visitor safety specialists and the Alberta Wildfire unit used a wheeled stretcher to bring Kitchen to the nearest helipad.
From there, he was flown to the Parks Canada operations compound in Jasper, where a STARS air ambulance was waiting.
“Tragically, despite efforts of the first responders and STARS air ambulance team specialists, the injured firefighter did not survive and was pronounced deceased shortly after transfer to STARS,” officials said.
In a tribute posted to Facebook, Kitchen was described as “a talented athlete, musician, singer, comedian and actor.”
“He could have been a gifted teacher, but he was wired to be a first responder,” the post said.
“The photos and stories his crew shared of his last few months reflect a genuinely happy man doing what he loved in a place as wild and free as he was.”
The post says Kitchen is survived by his parents, step-parents, and six siblings.