Key takeaways:
- Four soldiers died; 39 people were injured, 19 of them critically.
- Maj-Gen Wade Rutland said the fire moved roughly one kilometre in 30 to 60 seconds after the wind shifted.
- The fire’s cause remains unknown, and the military says there is no indication of terrorist activity.
A grass fire driven by powerful winds swept through a live-fire training area at a Canadian military base on Saturday, killing four soldiers and injuring 39 people. Nineteen of the injured were in critical condition.
“The fire was 1km (0.6 miles) away when the wind shifted,” Maj-Gen Wade Rutland, commander of the Canadian Armed Forces’ 1st Canadian Division, said. “It is not normal for a fire to move a kilometre in 30 to 60 seconds.”
The dead were Sgt Morgan Wong, Pte Shaun Farrell, Pte Aidan Goulding and Pte Hayden Lykkemark, the BBC reported. Prime Minister Mark Carney called the fire “one of the worst tragedies for the forces on Canadian soil in peacetime”.
The blaze struck Canadian Forces Base Wainwright in Alberta, where soldiers were conducting high-intensity combat training with live ammunition. About 84 soldiers were split between a grenade range and an area used to practise attacks on simulated enemy positions, according to Al Jazeera. The fire overtook the second training area.
Rutland said officials had known about a fire on the base for several hours but had decided training could continue for a time. Al Jazeera reported that officials had observed a grass fire Saturday morning and judged it sufficiently contained to allow the drills. The BBC reported that the blaze began at about 16:00 local time (22:00 GMT). The accounts differ on when the fire began, but both describe a sudden shift in wind that drove flames toward the soldiers.
“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. Investigators will examine whether wind drove the flames toward the soldiers or whether fire spread unseen through vegetation before overtaking them, Al Jazeera reported.
The cause remains unknown. Rutland said investigators did not believe the incident resulted from oil and gas infrastructure, despite speculation after witnesses reported hearing explosions. The Canadian Armed Forces said there were no indications of terrorist activity. Rutland said the investigation could take at least a month.
Strong winds affected large parts of Alberta that day. Al Jazeera reported gusts of up to 100km/h (62mph), while the BBC cited a forecast of up to 90km/h (66mph). Global News reported that a military memo assessed the fire risk for the planned live-ammunition exercise as low. According to Al Jazeera, the memo said fire crossed a fire guard, spread beyond the base and forced the evacuation of one family home.
The injured strained local medical services. Warren Thirsk, an emergency doctor at the Royal Alexandra Hospital, told CBC that the number of patients had “completely overwhelmed” healthcare facilities in Wainwright.
Families and fellow soldiers mourned the dead. Goulding’s mother, Sonia Monk, told CBC her son was an exceptional athlete and a natural leader. “He was always the guy who kept everybody’s spirits up,” she said. “He really was the light of my life.” The Loyal Edmonton Regiment said it was “deeply saddened” by Wong’s death and offered condolences to families, friends and fellow soldiers.
Wainwright is one of Canada’s busiest military training bases. The BBC reported that about 690 military personnel and 300 civilian workers are typically on site.
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