Four Canadian soldiers were killed and 39 people injured, including 19 in critical condition, after a fast-spreading grass fire engulfed troops conducting live-fire combat exercises at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright in Alberta , officials said on Sunday local time.
However, a sudden change in wind direction sent the flames towards the soldiers. Prime Minister Mark Carney described the incident as one of the worst peacetime tragedies involving Canada’s military on home soil. The base is located in a prairie region.
Major General Wade Rutland, commander of the 1st Canadian Division, based in Edmonton, around 210 km west of the military base , said officials had been aware of the fire for several hours but believed it was under control and allowed training to continue. Winds reaching speeds of 96 kilometres per hour fuelled the blaze, which began around 4 pm MDT (3.30 am IST) on Saturday. Wind speeds had remained below 50 kilometres per hour before the fire broke out, Rutland told reporters at a news conference.
He described the sudden increase in wind speed and the rapid spread of the flames as an “uncommon, rapid” event, saying the fire advanced 1 km in just 30 to 60 seconds. When the fire started, 85 soldiers from the 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, were conducting “high-intensity” combat training with live ammunition, Rutland said. Rutland said the incident was under investigation and declined to speculate on the cause of the grass fire. He said officials did not believe the region’s extensive oil and gas infrastructure was linked to the incident and also ruled out “outside interference.”
