Fire that killed 4 soldiers at Canadian military base started at grenade launcher range, officials say

A fire that killed four soldiers and injured dozens of others on a military base In the Canadian province of Alberta, an explosion broke out at a grenade launcher range during training exercises last week, officials said Thursday.

The fire broke out on October 17 at the automatic grenade launcher range at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright “during routine military training activities,” Brig. Gen. Vanessa Hanrahan, Canadian Forces provost marshal, said in a statement Thursday.

The fire initially remained in the range’s “permanent danger zone 2,” which limited firefighters’ ability to fight it directly, Hanrahan said, and crews were forced to monitor it throughout the day.

However, it then spread due to “a subsequent change in wind direction and speed” which “significantly increased the intensity and speed of the fire, leading to these tragic events,” Hanrahan added.

There is no indication that natural gas infrastructure was involved in the fire, she revealed.

The fire killed four soldiers and injured 39 others. The Canadian Armed Forces said Thursday that 27 soldiers remained hospitalized, while 12 had been treated and released.

Earlier this week, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said the fire was “driven by fierce winds” and “jumped almost a kilometer in less than a minute to where the soldiers were gathered.”

Carney said 50 investigators were dispatched to investigate the fire. The Canadian Forces National Investigation Service led the investigation, with support from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

“We will get answers about the causes of this terrible tragedy, as quickly and transparently as necessary,” Carney told reporters Monday.

The fire overtook soldiers from the 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, and Army reservists who were conducting live fire training.

Maj. Gen. Wade Rutland said Sunday that military officials had known about the fire for hours but believed it was under control and allowed training to continue before the winds suddenly shifted.

About 84 soldiers from Charlie Company were training at two sites, one to throw grenades and the other to practice attacking simulated enemy positions. The fire spread to the second zone.

Carney said the soldiers were preparing for a mission next spring to reinforce Canadian troops serving with NATO in Latvia.

Rutland said investigators will examine whether winds pushed the flames toward the troopers or whether the fire spread through vegetation unseen. They will also examine whether military security procedures need to be changed, he added.

The Army identified those killed as Sgt. Morgan Wong of Edmonton; Pvt. Shaun Farrell of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan; Pvt. Aidan Goulding of North Vancouver, British Columbia; and Pvt. Hayden Lykkemark from Langley, British Columbia.