'A wound that cannot be repaired': Fallen N.W.T. wildfire fighters identified

A Northwest Territories flag flies in Inuvik, N.W.T., on July 24, 2025. (Darryl Dyck / The Canadian Press)

YELLOWKNIFE — Two of the three people who died after a plane fighting wildfires in the Northwest Territories went down last month have been identified.

N.W.T. Fire says Olivier Lamy and Ryan Beck were killed in a crash on June 24.

RCMP have said a Turbo Commander 690 crashed about 50 kilometres from Fort Simpson, west of Yellowknife.

Buffalo Airways has said one of its aerial firefighting pilots also died in the crash.

N.W.T. Fire says Lamy was an air attack officer who previously fought wildfires with Parks Canada.

The agency says Beck was in his second season as an air attack officer trainee.

It said it was able to share details about the two men with permission from their families.

“Their loss is a wound that cannot be repaired and is felt far and wide in the wildfire community,” the agency said in a Facebook post.

“They lost their lives in the line of duty protecting people and communities across the N.W.T. All were responsible for courageous acts of service to this territory few could imagine.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 8, 2026.