A Canadian firefighter suffered a medical emergency and died while battling a forest blaze Sunday.
Firefighter Isaiah Nottaway, a 32-year-old Kitigan Zibi firefighter, lost conscious as crews were fighting a fire in Quebec's Notre-Dame-de-la-Salette, which is about 30 miles north of Ottawa, CTV reports. Nottaway's colleagues tried to resuscitate the firefighter at the scene until paramedics arrived. He was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Nottaway and other firefighters from Kitigan Zibi had been providing support for Société de protection des forêts contre le feu—Quebec's forest fire prevention service—with the blaze. Nine firefighters were attacking the fire on the ground, and they were assisted by a water tanker and three water bombers, the Ottawa Citizen reports.
"The work of these firefighters is essential to ensure the SOPFEU’s ability to intervene throughout Québec," the Canadian agency said in a statement.
It's not immediately known what caused Nottaway's medical emergency, forest fire protection service spokeswoman told CTV. Several agencies are investigating the incident, the agency added.
