Fifty investigators are now on the ground in Alberta examining the fast-moving fire at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright that killed four soldiers and injured 39, as new details emerge about the scale of the tragedy.
The Canadian Forces National Investigation Service is leading the probe with support from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Prime Minister Mark Carney told the House of Commons the government would ensure investigators “have all the resources they need to complete their work thoroughly and expeditiously”, according to reports.
A clearer picture of the casualties
An updated breakdown has clarified the patient tally: of the 39 people counted after Saturday’s fire, 19 were in life-threatening condition, eight were stable, and 12 were treated as outpatients whose injuries did not require hospital admission, according to reports. Four soldiers are confirmed dead, and their families have been informed.
The fire broke out at about 4 p.m. on Saturday during a live-fire training exercise, as soldiers of the Third Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry trained alongside Army Reserve members. Driven by ferocious winds gusting to 100 kilometres per hour, the fire jumped nearly a kilometre in less than a minute to where the soldiers were gathered, Carney said, according to reports.
Questions the probe must answer
Multiple unnamed military sources have said a munition from the live exercise may have ignited the grass fire, though that remains a preliminary lead rather than an established cause, according to reports. Investigators are also examining the decision to continue training in such conditions.
Defence Minister David McGuinty said there was no indication of terrorism, describing the situation as active and delicate. A formal board of inquiry is expected, and the disaster may change how live-fire exercises are conducted in dry, windy conditions.
The base, about 200 kilometres southeast of Edmonton, is one of Canada’s busiest military training centres, home to the Canadian Manoeuvre Training Centre and the 3rd Canadian Division Training Centre, according to reports. Several Alberta hospitals declared a Code Orange as casualties arrived, and the fire forced an advance polling station to close early on Saturday, redirecting voters to Lloydminster and Vermilion, according to reports.
