Canadaupdated 1h ago2 min read
Live Grenade Exercise Sparks Deadly Fire at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright, Killing Four Soldiers
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
A live-grenade exercise triggered a fast-moving grass fire at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright. The fire killed four soldiers and left 27 in hospital.
Save coverage image
Explore source coverage 6 source types
Directory totals describe our source library, not outlets checked for this story.
10 outlets told this the same way.
Grenade Range Fire Kills
A live grenade exercise sparked a fast-moving grass fire at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright in Alberta, killing four soldiers and injuring dozens during training on Saturday. Brigadier-General Vanessa Hanrahan said the fire initiated on the automatic grenade launcher range as a result of routine military training happening on that range at the time. Major-General Wade Rutland described the sudden high winds and resulting spread as an "uncommon, rapid" event in which the flames advanced 1km in 30 to 60 seconds.
Prime Minister Mark Carney said the nation was in mourning and ordered flags on federal buildings across the country to be lowered to half-staff to honour the victims. Officials said 27 people remained hospitalised, with several in a critical condition, as the soldiers and reserve members were preparing to deploy to Latvia.
Investigations and Injuries
Brigadier-General Vanessa Hanrahan told reporters that a subsequent change in wind direction and velocity significantly increased the fire’s intensity, and she said the flames spread to a training area at the Wainwright military base in Alberta. The fire spread on Saturday afternoon during high-intensity combat training involving Charlie Company of the 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, and the military said four soldiers died and 39 were injured, with 27 requiring hospitalisation. The Straits Times reported that four soldiers died and 39 were injured, with 27 requiring hospitalisation, and it said the fire began on the grenade launcher range on Oct 22.
CTV News said the fire began on the automatic grenade launcher range that crews could not reach, and it described the fire as beginning within the range's "Permanent Danger Area 2". Global News said three investigations into the accident were underway, with two led by the military and one civilian, while it also said the province’s chief medical examiner would investigate the fatalities.
Safety Questions and Next Steps
Major-General Wade Rutland said the timing of the exercise would be part of the review, and he cautioned against reading too much into the training-range standing orders that advised early morning shoots when fire risk is lower.
“Gen. Jennie Carignan, Canada's top soldier, told the media briefing that if investigators find that new safety measures are needed, the Armed Forces will implement them immediately.”
Global News quoted Rutland saying, "That’s a guideline and commanders on the ground have to assess multiple factors in order to decide whether or not to go ahead with shooting," including weather, dryness and the type of munitions involved.
Brig.-Gen. Vanessa Hanrahan told reporters that the location prevented firefighters from suppressing the fire before strong winds swept up the flames and pushed the blaze in a new direction across the training range.
Castanet reported that three investigations were taking place, two led by the military and one civilian, and it said Gen. Jennie Carignan promised the Armed Forces would implement new safety measures immediately if investigators found them needed.
The Canadian Armed Forces said training resumed at the base, and Global News said the entire battalion was expected to redeploy in the coming days while the military reviewed ammunition and range and training safety standards.