Four Soldiers Killed as Wind-Driven Fire Overruns Training Exercise at CFB Wainwright
Four Canadian soldiers were killed and 39 others injured when a fast-moving grass fire tore through a live ammunition training exercise at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright in Alberta on Saturday afternoon, in what Prime Minister Mark Carney called one of Canada’s worst peacetime military tragedies on home soil.
The military has named the dead as Sergeant Morgan Wong of the Loyal Edmonton Regiment, and Privates Shaun Farrell, Aidan Goulding and Hayden Lykkemark, all serving with the 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, based in Edmonton.
A Wall of Flame
The fire began at about 4 p.m. local time on October 17. About 84 soldiers were split between a grenade range and an assault training area. The blaze was believed contained, then the wind shifted and drove it a kilometre in 36 seconds, a “wall of flame” pushed by gusts reported from 96 km/h to more than 130 km/h.
Major General Wade Rutland, commander of the 1st Canadian Division, said: “The fire was a kilometer away when the wind shifted. That is not normal for a fire to move a kilometer in 36 seconds.” The cause is under investigation, and military officials say no external interference is suspected.
A Community in Mourning
Of the 39 injured, 19 were in critical condition, with the wounded treated at hospitals in Edmonton, Wainwright, Calgary and Red Deer under a Code Orange emergency. Wainwright’s mayor called it the largest mass casualty event the community has seen, with the local hospital serving as a triage centre.
Carney, who campaigned in Calgary on the weekend, ordered flags at half mast on federal buildings and will make a statement in the House of Commons today as Parliament resumes.
The battalion had been preparing for rapid deployment and a reinforcement mission to Latvia next spring. The Canadian Forces National Investigation Service is investigating, with the RCMP offering support, as the reporting on the tragedy has documented.
