A young father of two suffered major burns to most of his body and is critical condition after a fire at the Leduc and District Regional Waste Management Facility.

The 28-year-old father, Brandon Lethbridge, had started working there two weeks prior as a heavy equipment operator and now, he’s fighting for his life.

“We’re confused more than anything. We have more questions than answers,” said Lethbridge’s brother-in-law, Eric MacDonald. He said said the family is devastated.

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On Saturday, May 31, Lethbridge was enjoying a day off with his wife and two young kids at the Leduc fair that weekend, when he got called into work to help fight a fire that started at the Leduc landfill.

“When he got the call, he told his kids that he’s going to go try help fight a fire,” MacDonald said.

“He’s not a firefighter and I don’t know what kind of training he has, but he’s willing to go in there and sacrifice and do what he needs to do.

“We know that he just started this job and that he was trying to be a good employee.”

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One of Lethbridge’s three older sisters, Amber, said he’s being treated at the University of Alberta Hospital’s burn unit.

She said her brother is on strong painkillers and medications, so he isn’t really aware of his surroundings or when he has visitors.

“He’s a fighter and he has 65 per cent burns across his entire body, so just given what burns do to your body, it’s a lot of trauma,” Amber Lethbridge said.

“He’s the kindest soul that you’ll ever meet.

“He loves his family, he loves his wife, he loves his boys.”

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Fire departments from the City of Leduc and Leduc County responded to the fire on May 31.

The landfill is located within the jurisdiction of Leduc County, which is why Leduc County Fire Services responded with a number of stations located in Nisku, New Sarepta and Calmar, along with mutual aid.

In a post about the fire on the county’s website, it said “firefighters were protecting the perimeter around the pile, and landfill staff were operating heavy equipment to support fire suppression activities.”

In a statement to Global News, the Leduc and District Regional Waste Management Facility said:

“The safety of our employees and patrons is our number one priority and so it’s important that we understand what happened (through the investigation) so we can help ensure it doesn’t happen again.”

Occupational health and safety is now investigating the serious workplace accident.

The Alberta Government’s ministry of Jobs, Economy, Trade and Immigration said in a statement to Global News:

“It is always tragic when a worker is hurt on the job. Alberta’s government is focused on having all workers return home healthy and safe after every workday. OHS is investigating a fire that occurred May 31, 2025 at the Leduc and District Regional Waste Facility. One worker was seriously injured. As this is an active OHS investigation, no further information can be provided at this time.”

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The Lethbridge family has started a GoFundMe because Brandon is the family’s sole breadwinner, plus having just started his job, his health benefits had not yet kicked in.

The family is trying to stay positive.

“He’s my little brother and he’s loved by so many and it’s just going to be a really long road ahead for all of us,” Amber said.