Four Canadian service members were killed and 39 people injured, including 19 in critical condition, when a fast-moving grass fire overtook soldiers during live-fire combat training at a military base in Alberta on Saturday, officials said Sunday.
Maj. Gen. Wade Rutland said the military had known about the fire for hours and believed it was contained enough for training to continue. Winds then shifted. He said the fire was a kilometre away when that happened, and that a fire moving a kilometre in 36 seconds was not normal. A commander at the scene told him soldiers went from seeing no fire to having flames on them in less than a minute.
The fire broke out during high-intensity combat training by Charlie Company of the 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry. About 84 soldiers were split between a grenade range and an area where they practised attacks on simulated enemy positions. The fire swept into the second training area. Investigators had not determined what ignited the grass.
Rutland said the battalion, based in Edmonton, was preparing for rapid deployment to global crises and a mission to reinforce Canadian troops in Latvia next spring.
Those killed were identified as Sgt. Morgan Wong of the Loyal Edmonton Regiment and Privates Shaun Farrell, Aidan Goulding and Hayden Lykkemark of the 3rd Battalion. All four were serving with the battalion. Prime Minister Mark Carney called the incident one of the worst peacetime tragedies for Canada's military on domestic soil and ordered flags lowered to half-staff on federal buildings nationwide. He said the families of those killed had been notified. Those affected included regular forces, reservists and soldiers from bases across Canada.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said 39 people were receiving medical care. Sayeh Zielke, chief executive of Acute Care Alberta, said 19 were critical, eight were stable and 12 were ambulatory with less serious injuries. Smith said some suffered severe burns and could face weeks or months of intensive treatment.
Patients were moved from Wainwright to the University of Alberta Hospital and Royal Alexandra Hospital in Edmonton, Foothills Medical Centre in Calgary and Red Deer Regional Hospital. Officials later lifted the Code Orange emergency that had been activated at several hospitals Saturday night. The response used 22 ground ambulances, six airplanes and two helicopters, with help from Saskatchewan. Smith said all patients had been accounted for and none were still awaiting transport.
Wainwright Mayor Bruce Pugh said the town's small hospital was not built for a mass-casualty incident and praised local medical staff. Rutland said military search-and-rescue technicians parachuted into Wainwright to reinforce the response. Pugh said their red parachutes were lit by flares as they descended shortly before midnight.
Cathy Keane, a mayoral candidate in Ontario, said her eldest son was among those critically injured and that she was travelling to Alberta. Conservative opposition leader Pierre Poilievre, who represents the area in Parliament, visited Wainwright on Sunday and said he had heard of people who ran toward the danger to help others and were now fighting for their lives in hospital.
Rutland said the fire started in the training area, where several exercises were under way, and spread quickly in unusually strong winds. Winds had stayed within normal operating limits for much of Saturday, generally below 50 kph (31 mph), before rising rapidly. Range controllers use weather reports to decide whether training can continue. The fire crossed established firebreaks and was contained with municipal firefighters. The military said there were no indications of terrorism.
Military investigators will examine the circumstances, including whether safety protocols should change. Rutland said a formal board of inquiry is typically convened after such incidents and that establishing what happened would take time. Charlie Company was withdrawn from the training area, and the rest of the battalion suspended training on Sunday.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police said officers were called shortly after 4 p.m. Saturday after reports of a fire in the base training area. Large parts of Alberta were hit by a windstorm that day, with gusts up to 100 kph (62 mph). The winds toppled trees, sent signs flying and pushed flames beyond the base into surrounding rural areas.
By late Saturday, the Municipal District of Wainwright said the fire was being held and that property and critical infrastructure were protected. No evacuation order was issued for residents. CFB Wainwright is one of Canada's busiest training bases.
The fire also disrupted advance voting ahead of Monday's referendum on whether Alberta should begin a process that could lead to independence from Canada. Elections Alberta said the Wainwright Communiplex advance polling location closed early Saturday and election materials were transported securely.