MONTREAL - A 39-year-old firefighter was killed after being struck by a firetruck near the corner of Dutrisac and Henri Bourassa at around 4:30 p.m. Friday afternoon in St. Laurent.
The accident occurred when the fire truck backed into the man while the team tended to a small residential kitchen fire. He has been identified as Thierry Godfrind, originally from Saint-Lin-des-Laurentides and a firefighter from Station 42 in Ahuntsic-Cartierville.
The firefighter was transported to hospital where medical authorities attempted to keep him alive, but later in the evening his death was confirmed by hospital officials.
Two of his colleagues were also brought to hospital to be treated for shock.
Fire department officials held a press conference at 8 p.m. Friday, after they had time to share the sad news with the victim's family.
The grim-faced officials called the event "a tragedy" and confirmed that the matter would be fully investigated and that a Workers Health and Safety (CSST) investigation would also be undertaken to determine what went wrong in the procedure.
It is the first death of a firefighter in Montreal since Marcel Marleau died fighting a fire in Montreal North in January 2006.
