Updated at January 4, 9:4 p.m.
The Windsor Fire and Rescue Service is mourning the loss of one of their own following an unfortunate accident west of Collingwood.
Fire officials have confirmed that firefighter Wesley Orr died as a result of an accident Friday morning. Windsor Fire and Rescue said Orr’s death came “just shy of his 26th birthday”.
Chief Fire Prevention Officer John Lee said Fire Chief Steve Laforet is expected to release a statement on Saturday.
The OPP said on Friday around 3 a.m., a 25-year-old man tried to climb the outside wall of a building in the Blue Mountain Village ski resort, but lost his footing and fell to the ground. He was rushed to hospital where he succumbed to his injuries. An investigation into his death is ongoing and an autopsy has been scheduled.
Fellow firefighters expressed their condolences online, including the Amherstburg Fire Department.
“It is with sadness we send our condolences to the Orr family and our brothers and sisters at [Windsor Fire and Rescue] on the passing of Wesley Orr,” the Amherstburg Fire Department said in a tweet. “We will miss his leading professionalism and the example he set for customer service. He will always be an example for us all to be.”
*with files from Kirk Dickinson
From January 4, 2019:
A sudden death investigation is underway in Blue Mountain Village.
Officers from the Collingwood and The Blue Mountains detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police and emergency crews were called to assist at the Blue Mountain Resort shortly before 3 a.m. on Friday.
The initial investigation found that a 25-year old man attempted to climb the outside wall of a building in the Blue Mountain Village when, at some point, he lost his footing and fell to the ground. He was subsequently transported to an area hospital where he died of his injuries.
A post-mortem examination will be scheduled. The investigation is ongoing.