In brief
Brigadier-General Vanessa Hanrahan said on Thursday, 22 October, that the fire broke out on the automatic grenade launcher range during routine military training.
Four soldiers died after the fire spread on Saturday, 17 October, with 39 people injured and 27 still hospitalised.
Premier Danielle Smith said on 19 October that 19 of the injured were critical, while CBC later reported 13 critical among the 27 still in hospital.
Authorities are running three separate investigations, and the soldiers involved were preparing for a deployment to Latvia.
- 17 OctFire breaks out on the grenade launcher range at Wainwright during the afternoon
- 19 OctPremier Danielle Smith reports 19 critical, 8 stable and 12 with lighter injuries
- 22 OctBrigadier-General Vanessa Hanrahan briefs reporters on the cause of the fire
How the fire started
A live-grenade exercise on the automatic grenade launcher range at the Wainwright base in Alberta set off the fire that killed four soldiers on Saturday, 17 October. Officials described the training as routine. Vanessa Hanrahan, who heads the Canadian Forces Military Police Group, briefed reporters on Thursday, 22 October, and said the blaze started on that range during the afternoon. According to Al Jazeera, about 84 soldiers were split between the grenade range and an area where they practised attacks on simulated enemy positions, with Charlie Company of the 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, taking part. Hanrahan pointed to the weather when she described how the fire spread.
“A subsequent change in wind direction and velocity significantly increased the fire's intensity.”
Spread and firefighting
Strong winds pushed the flames across the base, with reported speeds of up to 96 km/h and almost 100 km/h. Firefighters could not reach the blaze on the range because the area is designated a 'permanent danger area' where unexploded ammunition may lie that could detonate if someone stepped on it. When the wind picked up, the fire jumped to a second training area where dozens of soldiers became trapped. Major-General Wade Rutland said soldiers were surprised by the flames during an outdoor exercise, and that the fire spread across firebreaks before it was brought under control together with local emergency crews. Earlier reports suggested a gas pipeline or gas well may have been hit during the exercise, but Canadian authorities say there are no indications of this so far.
Casualties and hospital care
Four soldiers died and 39 were injured, and 27 of the injured still needed hospital treatment. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said on Monday, 19 October, that 19 of the injured were in critical condition, 8 were in stable condition and 12 were being treated for lighter injuries.
- Critical
- 19 people
- Stable
- 8 people
- Lighter injuries
- 12 people
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Government response and investigations
Prime Minister Mark Carney has described the fire as one of the worst peacetime tragedies the Canadian Armed Forces have experienced on home soil. Initially, the government gave few details and referred only to an 'incident'. Authorities say three separate investigations are under way. The event is counted among the worst accidents in the Canadian military.
Deployment and base history
The soldiers were preparing for a deployment to Latvia, the largest international military operation Canada currently runs. Canada has stationed its largest foreign troop contingent there as part of a NATO mission to strengthen the alliance's eastern flank against the Russian threat. Wainwright is one of the largest bases run by the Canadian Armed Forces and regularly hosts training with NATO troops. During the final months of World War II and for several months in 1946, the base served as an internment centre for German prisoners of war.