Alberta [Canada], October 19 (ANI): Four Canadian Armed Forces service members were killed and 39 others injured after a grass fire broke out during a military training exercise at Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Wainwright in Alberta on Saturday (local time), with 19 injured personnel in critical condition, according to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC).
The deceased service members have been identified as Sgt. Morgan Wong of Edmonton, Pte. Shaun Farrell of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, Pte. Aidan Goulding of North Vancouver, and Pte. Hayden Lykkemark of Langley, British Columbia. All four served with the 3rd Battalion of Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry in Edmonton, CBC reported.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, speaking from Ottawa on Sunday, called the incident “one of the worst tragedies for the Forces on Canadian soil in peacetime.”
“The nation is in mourning for those brave members of our Armed Forces whom we have lost,” Carney said, as he confirmed the deaths and serious injuries. He also announced that Canadian flags would fly at half-mast at federal buildings across the country.
Thanking first responders and community members who had offered assistance, Carney said, “Canadians come together in crisis, that is the best of our country,” according to CBC News.
Maj.-Gen. Wade Rutland, commander of the 1st Canadian Division of the Canadian Armed Forces, said at a news conference on Sunday that the fire broke out during a high-intensity combat training exercise involving live munitions.
According to CBC, soldiers were throwing hand grenades at a grenade range, while others were conducting a “section attack”, an exercise in which 10 soldiers attack a simulated enemy.
Rutland said the exact cause of the fire remained unknown. “Quite frankly, it could have been any of that or none of it,” he said.
He said strong wind gusts caused the blaze to spread by a kilometre in less than a minute.
“This was uncommon, rapid, and I certainly hadn’t seen anything like it,” Rutland said, adding that wind conditions had remained within standard procedures for training exercises for much of the day, with gusts below 50 km/h.
Rutland said range control had been aware of the fire on the base for several hours, but training was allowed to continue for a period. He added that the fire spread rapidly to the area where the section attack exercise was taking place, although the grenade range was not affected.
“I spoke to my commander last night, and he said within 30 seconds to a minute they saw no fire, and then there was a fire right on top of them,” Rutland said.
Environment and Climate Change Canada had issued a wind warning for large parts of Alberta on Saturday, forecasting gusts of up to 90 km/h. CBC meteorologist Johanna Wagstaffe reported that a cold front moved through Wainwright between 3 pm and 4 pm (local time), shifting winds from southwesterly to northwesterly, with speeds reaching 69 km/h by 4 pm (local time).
Rutland said investigators would examine how the fire spread and whether it could have advanced without being noticed by personnel on the ground. He also stressed that the military maintained “very strict safety protocols” for training exercises.
Addressing reports of explosions heard during the fire and questions about possible damage to oil and gas infrastructure at the site, Rutland said there was no indication that such infrastructure had been hit.
The Department of National Defence had earlier told CBC News that there were no indications that the incident at CFB Wainwright resulted from “any terrorist activity.”
Rutland said he expected a full investigation into the fire to take at least a month, CBC News reported.
Earlier on October 17, Mark Carney expressed condolences to the families of the victims of the incident. He said that the Canadian government is working closely with the Government of Alberta and local authorities, and he is in close contact with the Premier of Alberta, Danielle Smith.
“A serious incident creating a major fire has occurred at CFB Wainwright, in Alberta. Our thoughts are with all the brave women and men affected. We are working closely with the Government of Alberta and local authorities. Premier Smith and I are in close contact, as are our relevant ministers and officials,” Carney posted on X.
CFB Wainwright has 690 military personnel and 300 civilian workers on it on a regular day, CBC reported. It became a training base for Canadian troops during the Korean War in the 1950s. (ANI)
Related reading
