November 21,2025
RED FM News Desk
Three children and one adult were seriously injured in a grizzly bear attack during a field trip in the remote B.C. community of Bella Coola on Thursday afternoon.
Students and teachers from Acwsalcta School, run by the Nuxalk First Nation, were having lunch when the bear emerged from the forest. Teachers intervened, using bear spray and a bear banger to protect the students.
Paramedics treated 11 people near Highway 20 at around 1:45 p.m. While seven required no further care, four victims were transported by ambulance to Williams Lake Airport and then airlifted to hospital. Two were in critical condition and two in serious condition. As of Friday afternoon, all four remained hospitalized, with families requesting privacy.
Teachers have been praised for their bravery by community leaders, including Nuxalk Nation Chief Samuel Schooner and B.C. Premier David Eby. Schooner called the attack “unprecedented” and said the heroic actions of teachers and students likely prevented more severe outcomes.
Parents described the traumatic scene. Veronica Schooner said her 10-year-old son Alvarez was in the class targeted by the bear and came very close to it, witnessing the attack on friends. A male teacher bore the brunt of the attack and was among those airlifted to hospital. Alvarez was “in shock” afterward, and other students were also traumatized.
Conservation officers searched for the bear but had not located it as of Friday afternoon. Authorities have urged residents to avoid nearby forested areas and rivers and to stay indoors.
The Nuxalk Acwsalcmalslayc Academy of Learning expressed gratitude to students, staff, emergency responders, and the community for their “strength and compassion” and praised school staff for their “swift actions, calm leadership and unwavering dedication” during the incident.
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