‘It was just a fluke’: man killed by falling tree had worked decades in urban forestry By: Tyler Searle Posted: 4:56 PM CDT Thursday, Jul. 6, 2023

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This article was published 06/07/2023 (1134 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A man crushed by a falling tree while camping near Manigotagan this week was described as a loving father and grandfather, who was taking his girlfriend on her first camping trip.

Melville McIntyre, 60, was staying at Mantago Bay RV Park and Campground on July 3, when a large tree — sheared in half by high winds during a thunderstorm — fell onto his tent, killing the man and trapping his partner.

McIntyre had worked for the City of Winnipeg for 33 years and spent decades maintaining its urban forest canopy and pools.

“He dealt with trees forever. He knows his trees, and he wouldn’t have placed his tent where it wasn’t safe,” daughter Tabitha Zenuik said Thursday. “It was just a fluke.”

Data from the Victoria Beach weather station show winds were gusting 48-50 km/hr around the time of the incident.

Around 12:20 a.m., RCMP from the Powerview-Pine Falls detachment, located roughly 85 kilometres south of the campground, responded to reports a tree had fallen and a couple were trapped beneath.

Several campers heard a woman calling for help, and rushed to render aid. The fallen tree had to be cut to free the pair, police said.

At least one of the good Samaritans was a friend of McIntyre, who was camping in a separate site nearby, Zenuik said.

“That was just a miracle,” she said. “Somebody was there and it wasn’t just the two of them, so they helped figure out what to do.”

McIntyre was pronounced dead on scene; the woman was not physically injured.

“She’s a little lost, and I’ve been trying to talk to her as much as I can,” said Chadwick McIntyre, the victim’s son. “It’s very traumatizing for her.”

Police reports did not include how long the couple was trapped beneath the fallen tree, and piecing together the events of the night has been difficult and painful, he added.

“We don’t know when it happened or when (first responders) finally got to them,” he said. “I was angry when it happened, just because I couldn’t believe it… He was my best friend.”

Zenuik said one of the owners of the campground told her the tree appeared to be healthy and young and not a “widow-maker.”

The term is used to describe old, dead or rotted trees likely to break apart during high winds.

It was the first time McIntyre had stayed at Mantago Bay, his son said.

A spokesperson for the campground declined to comment, but confirmed the fatal incident happened on the property and offered condolences to the family.

“It was a very tragic accident. We are extremely grateful for the nearby campers that were able to assist the trapped couple,” the spokesperson wrote in an email. “Our deepest and most sincere condolences go out to the family that has lost a father, grandfather and son.”

Sarah Hoffman, a meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada, described the fatal event as a worst-case scenario for campers.

“In a severe thunderstorm situation, that’s your main risk, that a tree could snap,” she said.

Hoffman recommended campers keep informed on weather conditions and position tents away from trees whenever possible, particularly if they look unhealthy.

In the event of a severe storm, people can seek shelter inside their vehicles or constructed buildings such as washroom facilities, she added.

Statistics Canada, which collects information on causes of death, does not keep a data set specific to people killed from falling objects during thunderstorms.

However, between 2016 to 2020, only four people in Canada were reported as dying as a result of a “cataclysmic” storm. Meanwhile, 77 people died in 2020 as a result of being struck by thrown, projected or falling objects.

Zenuik said her father, who retired from work with the city in February, will be remembered as a stubborn but fun-loving man, who was supportive and proud of his family.

He was a perennial season ticket holder for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, and loved the city he called home, she said.

“He was one who was loved by so many,” Zenuik said. “He would give you the shirt off his back, even if it didn’t fit. He was that kind of guy.”

McIntyre was thrilled to take his girlfriend on her first camping trip, and was planning to return in time to watch the Bombers game Friday, his son said, adding he plans to wear his father’s jersey to the game in his honour.

McIntyre is survived by three children, eight grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. His wife, Shelley Ellen McIntyre, died of breast cancer in 2016. They had been married for 35 years.

tyler.searle@freepress.mb.ca