Burns Lake says goodbye to killed workers

BURNS LAKE (NEWS130) – Prominent politicians stood shoulder to shoulder with residents of a northern British Columbia community Saturday as a funeral was held for a sawmill worker killed during a horrific explosion and fire last month.

RCMP Staff Sgt. Grant MacDonald said some 700 mourners packed a local Catholic church in Burns Lake, B.C., for the funeral of 42-year-old Carl Charlie, with B.C. NDP leader Adrian Dix and former provincial NDP leader Carole James among them.

Also in attendance were the town’s mayor, a member of the legislative assembly and a Catholic bishop.

MacDonald said about 700 people attended a different funeral on Friday held for another man killed in the sawmill blast.

Robert Luggi’s funeral took place in the community of Stellako, B.C., which is southeast of Burns Lake, he said.

Both Charlie and Luggi died during the Jan. 20 explosion and fire that levelled the Babine Forest Products mill, injured 19 employees and left about 250 others jobless.

“In 21 years of policing, I can say in terms of a response to a tragedy that I’ve never seen anything as large as this,” MacDonald told The Canadian Press.

“All the members and employees of the Burns Lake RCMP are very proud of our communities being able to show a lot of strength at a very difficult time.”

MacDonald said Saturday’s funeral service began just after noon and lasted about two hours, after which a procession made its way to a cemetery.

After the graveside ceremony, a luncheon was scheduled and a potluck was planned for the evening at a community hall, he said. The Rotary Club of Burns Lake was also running a fundraising benefit at a local Gospel church.

“It enables the community to start the healing process,” said MacDonald. “Everyone has stepped up to help the families of the two employees that were unfortunately killed, as well as supporting the injured workers.”

The remains of Charlie and Luggi were found in the debris of the burned out sawmill just days after the conflagration.

The B.C. Coroners Service said at the time that dental records were needed to determine the identities of the men.

Donna Freeman, a spokeswoman for WorkSafe BC, said investigators and a claims team from her organization remained in the community Saturday.

She said the organization now has control of the sawmill site, and she didn’t know how long the investigation would last.

“Clearly it will be months, but it’s very hard to say. Our staff will have an on-the-ground-presence for some time to come,” she said.

Jessica Quinn, a spokeswoman for the Northern Health authority, said all but one patient in the authority’s care has been discharged from hospital.

Twelve were treated in area hospitals, and another seven had been transferred outside the region, including four to Vancouver, two to Edmonton and one to Victoria, she said.

Quinn said one patient remained in a Burns Lake hospital Saturday, after being transferred from Prince George, B.C.