Canada Base Fire That Killed 4 Soldiers Began at a Grenade Launcher Range

A fire that killed four Canadian soldiers at the Wainwright military base in Alberta began on a grenade launcher range during routine training, a senior military police commander told reporters on Thursday. Al Jazeera and The Independent both reported her account.

Brig. Gen. Vanessa Hanrahan, commander of the Canadian Forces Military Police Group, said high winds then drove the flames across the base. The blaze is considered one of the worst peacetime tragedies in the history of Canada's military, according to both outlets.

The key numbers behind the Wainwright fire

• 4 soldiers killed. The Independent identified them as Sgt. Morgan Wong, Pvt. Shaun Farrell, Pvt. Aidan Goulding and Pvt. Hayden Lykkemark.
• 39 injured. Al Jazeera reported that 27 of the injured needed hospitalization.
• 27 still in hospital. The Independent, citing officials, said at least 13 of them are in critical condition, and another 12 people have been treated and released.
• About 84 soldiers were split between a grenade range and a training area where they practiced attacks on simulated enemy positions. The fire swept into the second area, Al Jazeera reported.
• 50 investigators were deployed to determine what caused the tragedy, according to Prime Minister Mark Carney, as cited by The Independent.
• A kilometer in seconds. Maj. Gen. Wade Rutland said the fire was a kilometer away when the wind shifted. The Independent cited a spread of a kilometer in 30 to 60 seconds, while Rutland's own remark put the figure at 36 seconds.

How the fire started and spread

The fire broke out at about 4 p.m. local time on Saturday while troops were taking part in high-intensity combat training. Those involved were from Charlie Company of the 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, along with reservists who were preparing for a deployment to Latvia, where Canadian forces run their largest international military operation.

Hanrahan said the fire started on the automatic grenade launcher range as a result of routine training being carried out there at the time. She said a later change in wind direction and speed sharply increased its intensity, and it spread into the training area. Carney told the House of Commons on Monday that the fire was driven by “ferocious winds.”

The base sits in the prairies, a landscape of open grasslands, rolling plains and scattered groves of trees. Al Jazeera reported that Wainwright is one of the largest bases operated by the Canadian Armed Forces and regularly hosts training with military personnel from NATO countries.

Why firefighters could not stop it

Firefighters stationed at the base knew about the blaze but could not fight it directly, because it was inside a “permanent danger area” of the range, officials said. The Independent reported that there were fears the range was littered with unexploded ordnance that could detonate if stepped on. Hanrahan said the restricted status limited the ability of fire teams to direct suppression efforts.

The Independent reported that dozens of people on the base were caught in the fire's path and trapped.

What this means for the military and the families affected

Carney said earlier this week that the loss touches every corner of the nation, according to The Independent. Gen. Jennie Carignan paid tribute to the four service members who died and, addressing their families, said the military would ensure they receive the support they need.

With 27 people still hospitalized and at least 13 of them in critical condition, according to officials cited by The Independent, the final toll could still change. Investigators are working to establish exactly what caused the fire to spread beyond the range and why it moved so fast.

The soldiers involved were preparing for the deployment to Latvia, the site of Canada's largest international military operation.

Around Prague, based on reporting by Al Jazeera, The Independent