Coroner’s inquest opens into Quebec firefighter flood deaths in May 2023 

A coroner’s inquest is underway into the deaths of two volunteer Quebec firefighters who perished during a flood rescue last May in the Charlevoix region. 

Coroner Andrée Kronström is hearing from witnesses at the courthouse in La Malbaie, Que., during the inquiry that will take place over several days in April and May. 

Kronström says the goal is not to assign blame but to better understand what happened when Christopher Lavoie, 23, and Régis Lavoie, 55, lost their lives on May 1, 2023. 

The men were attempting a rescue in St-Urbain, Que., northeast of Quebec City, when their amphibious vehicle began to drift in the rough waters and they fell into the overflowing Gouffre River. 

Their bodies were discovered two days later, and neither man was wearing a life vest over their firefighting gear. 

A workers health and safety report concluded the firefighters lacked the training and equipment necessary to carry out a water rescue. 

Feature image: Rescuers carry the body of one of the two missing firefighters to a helicopter, Wednesday, May 3, 2023 in Baie-Saint-Paul, Que. The coroner’s office has formally identified the two volunteer firefighters who were killed during the recent flooding in Quebec’s Charlevoix region. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jacques Boissinot