Local teen killed by lightning

A lightning strike on a soccer field here claimed the life of a Fort Frances teen early Wednesday evening.
Bryce Devoe, 13, was at the St. Francis Sportsfields with a group of youths when he was struck around 6 p.m., Fort Frances OPP reported this morning.
He was rushed to La Verendrye Hospital, but he was pronounced dead by medical staff.
His mother, Lori, described him as an avid young athlete who “loved everybody.”
“He was a good kid,” she said Thursday morning.
She mentioned his specific love of soccer—both as a player and an official, and that he recently had begun working sweeping at A&W and cutting grass at The Beer Store.
She thanked parents and police at the scene for tending to her son so quickly.
J.W. Walker School, where Devoe was attending Grade 8, was a scene of mourning Thursday. The flag was at half-mast at the school, where he would have graduated in three weeks.
Grieving teachers clutched tissues in the halls while students huddled together in sombre groups.
“This is the worst scenario an educator or a parent could ever face,” said Jack McMaster, director of education for the Rainy River District School Board.
Grief counsellors were on hand Thursday morning to tend to distressed students and staff.
Fort Frances OPP Cst. Doug Irish said many details still were unclear and that the teen’s death still was under investigation.
“There may be some things that won’t be released, but at this point were still looking into it,” he said. “The family’s our main concern right now.”
He added while the boys had come to the fields for a youth soccer game, “soccer was cancelled quite a bit earlier than that” due to the Fort Frances Youth Soccer’s strict policy to cancel games due to lightning.
Representatives from Fort Frances Youth Soccer were unavailable to comment at time of press Thursday.
Other children who had been playing in the area at the time of the lightning strike were taken to hospital as a precautionary measure and treated for minor injuries, police noted.