Monday, September 12, 2011

Alberta, Canada: Slave Lake honors pilot killed fighting fires

Published: September 12, 2011 12:59 p.m.
Last modified: September 12, 2011 1:08 p.m.

Slave Lake in northern Alberta will honor a helicopter pilot who was killed while fighting the wildfires that whipped through the town in May.

Jean-Luc Deba of Montreal was at the controls of a Bell 212 chopper when it crashed into Lesser Slave Lake.

Rescuers reached the scene quickly, but couldn't save the 54-year-old pilot, who was trapped in the wreckage about 30 metres off shore.

Slave Lake Mayor Karina Pillay-Kinnee confirms that town council has voted to pay tribute to Deba by making him an honorary citizen.

She says on her blog that the fire-ravaged town has remained in touch with his family and will be forever grateful for his sacrifice.

The cause of the helicopter crash remains under investigation.
 
http://www.metronews.ca

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