Update: 3:55 p.m.
The wildland firefighter who died Thursday while battling a blaze near Revelstoke was a UBC Okanagan nursing student.
The university announced Friday that Devyn Gale, 19, was a third-year nursing student at the school.
“Our UBC Okanagan campus is devastated,” says Dr. Lesley Cormack, principal and deputy vice-chancellor of UBC’s Okanagan campus.
“We extend our sincere condolences to Devyn’s family and friends, including all who knew and loved her in our community.”
The university says Gale had strong connections to her fellow students and her instructors.
“The fact that Deyvn was putting herself on the frontline to fight wildfires and also working towards a nursing career on the frontline of our health-care system speaks to the strength of her character,” adds Cormack.
“We will all need to take time to mourn her loss.”
The Revelstoke Acrobats Trampoline Gymnastics Facebook group also shared condolences online, noting Gale "lit up every room she walked into."
"Her gym family will miss her immensely. We are heartbroken. We'll remember Devyn for the vibrant, determined, hard working, special beyond measure young lady that she was."
In lieu of flowers, the family is asks that donations be made through the Revelstoke Community Foundation.
Original: 12 p.m.
A B.C. Wildfire Service firefighter who died while on the job near Revelstoke is being remembered as a kind and thoughtful person.
Devyn Gale, 19, was clearing brush near a small fire in a remote area when she got trapped under a fallen tree.
Her team immediately began first aid until help arrived. She was airlifted to Queen Victoria Hospital where she succumbed to her injuries.
Her brother, Nolan Gale, says she was an amazing sister.
“She was so kind and thoughtful. She had the best head on her shoulders,” he says in a post on Instagram. “She was careful, considerate, hardworking.”
Photographs Nolan shared on social media show Devyn working as a firefighter and beaming with a smile in each photo.
“She was smarter and better at what she did than she gave herself credit for,” says Nolan.
He adds that he’s grateful for everything she’s done for him and others.
“I love you Devyn, and I hope you’re OK wherever you are now. I can’t wait to see you again someday, on the other side,” he says.
Gale’s death is being investigated by the RCMP, BC Coroners Service, WorkSafeBC and the BC Wildfire Service.
