Four soldiers killed, 39 injured in fire at Canada’s Wainwright base

Four Canadian Armed Forces members died and 39 were injured in a fire during training at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright in Alberta on October 17, National Defence confirmed in an October 18 release.

The department said troops from the 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, were conducting live-fire training as part of Exercise APOLLO SHOOTER at about 4 p.m. Mountain Daylight Time. Strong winds drove the flames rapidly into the unit’s administrative area, it said.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said 39 people were in hospital, including 19 in critical condition, according to Reuters’ reporting of Sunday’s official briefing. Those figures describe the situation reported on October 18 and may change as treatment continues.

National Defence named the four soldiers killed as Sergeant Morgan Wong and Privates Shaun Farrell, Aidan Goulding and Hayden Lykkemark. Wong belonged to the Loyal Edmonton Regiment and was serving with the 3rd Battalion; the other three belonged to that battalion.

The circumstances of the fire remain under investigation. Reuters reported that Major-General Wade Rutland declined to speculate on what ignited the grass fire. The fact that it occurred during live-fire training does not, by itself, establish the ignition source.

The Associated Press reported Rutland’s account that officials had known about the grass fire for hours and believed it was sufficiently contained for training to continue before a sudden wind shift sent flames toward the soldiers. That account makes the fire’s behaviour and the decisions taken during training central questions for the investigation.

Military and civilian emergency services responded to the blaze, National Defence said. The department said its focus included support for injured members and the families and colleagues of those killed. No final finding on the fire’s cause was available in the sources reviewed for this report. No conclusion about responsibility can yet be drawn.