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'Sudden death' near Qualicum Beach

Dashwood fire department responds to a dozen calls in one day
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Members of the Dashwood Fire Department fight thick snow and brush to rescue a driver whose vehicle slid over an embankment near Qualicum Beach during Saturday’s storm.

Members of the Dashwood Volunteer Fire Department used a rope haul system to rescue a driver who plunged down a steep embankment, but were unable to save a man who died suddenly in Qualicum Beach during a busy day of calls in heavy snowfall Saturday.

"We went to probably a dozen calls that day," Dashwood Fire Chief Nick Acciavatti said. "Our crews were swamped; there were power lines down, a vehicle down a 40- to 50-foot embankment and one medical related incident."

Oceanside RCMP confirmed it attended a "sudden death" incident in Qualicum Beach Saturday during the weekend snowstorm, but shared no details about the victim's identity.

"It was not suspicious in nature," RCMP spokesperson Jesse Foreman said, adding that the case was passed onto the B.C. Coroner's Service.

Acciavatti confirmed B.C. Ambulance Service attended the medical call and the rescue. He said the latter victim was taken by ambulance with "non-life threatening injuries."

In all, Acciavatti said, the Dashwood department had four vehicles and approximately a dozen members on the road responding to calls "all over our fire protection area."

He said on Wednesday the department was standing ready to respond to potential incidents in a storm warning set for later in the day.

— NEWS Staff