May 8-- A recovery effort is underway for missing Fire Chief Clayton Cassidy, who is believed to have been swept away by swift waters while checking on rising flood levels Friday in Cache Creek, British Columbia.
Search and rescue crews were holding out hope that Cassidy, 59, would be rescued, but after three days with no developments, the chief is presumed dead, according to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
On Sunday, the Southeast RCPM tweeted "Search continuing as a recovery effort. No sign of missing."
CBC News reports that Cassidy was last seen just outside the village checking on water levels in Cache Creek. The RCPM said his vehicle was found near a washed-out bridge where he was last spotted, and crews have presumed he was either swept away or fell into the water.
"It is hard. It's a small community up here, they're very tight-knit," Sgt. Kathleen Thain with Ashcroft RCMP told CBC News. "Chief Cassidy is a very big part of this community. So they're coming together, they're rallying."
Cassidy won a 2016 Medal of Good Citizenship for his leadership and bravery during a past flood, according to CBC News. British Columbia Premier Christy Clark lauded Cassidy at the time for his tireless community service and grit during the 2015 Cache Creek flash floods, noting that "some people rise to the occasion and others go above and beyond."
According to the Merritt Herald, Cassidy has been a member of the volunteer fire department in Cache Creek for more than three decades and has been fire chief for more than 10 years.
