'Such a sweet boy': 3-year-old killed by falling tree in B.C. remembered

A three-year-old boy who was killed by a falling tree on a camping trip in B.C. is being remembered as sweet, curious and considerate.

Kash Bakker was the youngest of four boys, according to Ruveen Stogryn whose family was with the Bakkers last weekend when tragedy struck.

While Ruveen's husband works with Kash's father, Keith; she had not spent much time with the family before the trip. She describes the Bakkers as "extremely outdoorsy" with "amazing sons" who all made her feel at ease as a novice camper.

And she was particularly touched by the way Kash instantly bonded with her young daughter and how considerate he was by helping her put on her shoes before they headed out to play.

"I saw him to be very curious. He loved the outdoors. Honestly – such a sweet boy. A sweet, gentle, kind, curious, awesome boy," she recalled.

Storgyn and her husband have started an online fundraiser for the family so they won’t have to worry about working or paying bills while they grieve an unimaginable loss.

"We just need to help them because this is like literally the only thing we can do to maybe make it slightly better, when it's something that will never be fine," she told CTV News.

"I have seen before, a lot of small things from many people add up to something huge. And that is what we can do for this family, just try and help them in any way because this is going to take too long. It's too painful," she said.

The family lives in Port Coquitlam and Mayor Brad West took to social media to express his condolences.

"Heartbreaking, devastating news. I’m incredibly saddened to learn the family is from Port Coquitlam. Our hearts go out to them," he wrote, encouraging people to donate to the GoFundMe.

"As a parent, I cannot imagine anything worse," he added.

With files from CTV Vancouver's Spencer Harwood.