B.C. wildfire fighter, 19, died after being hit by falling tree while responding to blaze: RCMP

A young wildfire fighter who was killed by a falling tree in B.C.'s southern Interior on Thursday is being remembered by friends, family and community leaders as a kind, selfless woman committed to protecting the province and the people who call it home.

Devyn Gale, 19, died after being trapped beneath a tree while clearing brush near a small fire in a remote area outside Revelstoke, B.C., on Thursday.

Her brother, Nolan Gale, posted a tribute to his sister on Instagram early Friday.

"Devyn was an amazing sister. She was so kind and thoughtful. She had the best head on her shoulders between herself, my other sister ... and I. She was careful, considerate, hardworking. She was smarter and better at what she did than she gave herself credit for," he wrote.

"I'm so grateful to have grown up beside her. I'm grateful for everything she's done for me and others, completely out of kindness with no expectation for reciprocation."

Gale is the first wildfire fighter to die in B.C. in more than a decade. Fellow firefighters, community leaders and government officials offered condolences from across the country after her passing. 

"When we think about public service in our province, when we think about commitment to the people of British Columbia, it's hard to think of a more dramatic example of sacrifice ... than putting your life on the line," B.C. Premier David Eby said, speaking from Vancouver on Friday.

"This is a young woman who had her whole life ahead of her. She obviously loved the outdoors and had a strong calling to public service, to stepping up for her friends and neighbours. The whole community is reeling. The province is in mourning for her death — that someone so selfless could die during this kind of work.

"On behalf of all British Columbians, I want to say thank you to her."

Mounties said it was Gale's colleagues who found her beneath the tree and started first aid after losing contact with her during the call.

Gale was airlifted to Queen Victoria Hospital in Revelstoke, where she died from her injuries.

"You have this young 19-year-old who's obviously trying to keep her community and, really, the province safe ... we don't necessarily expect this kind of thing to happen, but it's a reminder of the inherent risk of this type of work," RCMP Cpl. James Grandy said in an interview, adding that the area in which the fire is burning is "extremely dangerous."

"It's commendable that these folks are out there doing this type of thing, keeping communities safe from wildfire, but obviously, we have to be cognizant of the risks that they're all taking in doing so."

The B.C. Wildfire Service (BCWS) confirmed the woman's death but did not say which fire she was battling. As of Friday morning, three wildfires were burning within 50 kilometres of Revelstoke, a mountain community about 150 kilometres west of the Alberta border.