A fire that killed four soldiers at a military base in western Canada was started by a training exercise that used live grenades, a military official has said. The blaze broke out on Saturday at the Wainwright base in Alberta and was carried across the site by strong winds.
Brigadier-General Vanessa Hanrahan, commander of the Canadian Forces Military Police Group, gave the update to reporters on Thursday. The fire began on a grenade launcher range during military drills. She said that shifts in wind direction and speed greatly intensified the flames, which then spread into a training area.
Four soldiers dead and dozens hurt at Wainwright
Because the fire was inside the range’s “permanent danger area,” firefighters could not tackle it directly, Hanrahan added. It spread during high-intensity combat training involving Charlie Company of the 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry.
Around 84 soldiers were split between the grenade range and an area used to attack simulated enemy positions, and the fire swept into the second zone. Four soldiers died and 39 others were hurt, 27 of whom needed hospital treatment. The incident is among the worst peacetime tragedies for Canada’s military.
Training ahead of Latvia deployment and base history
The soldiers and reserve members were taking part in drills ahead of a planned deployment to Latvia, where Canadian forces run their largest international military operation. Wainwright is one of the largest bases run by the Canadian Armed Forces and regularly hosts NATO training.
During the final months of the Second World War and for several months in 1946, the site served as an internment centre for German prisoners of war.
