Wainwright fire started on grenade range, military says

The deadly Oct. 17 fire at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright, Alta., started on the base’s automatic grenade launcher range during training, and its location kept firefighters from putting it out before strong winds drove the flames across the training area, senior military officials said Thursday.

Officials from the Canadian Armed Forces and National Defence gave the update at a news conference in Edmonton, as reported by The Canadian Press, CBC News and CTV News. Gen. Jennie Carignan, the chief of the defence staff, said she was “heartbroken” by the deaths of four soldiers and acknowledged there are “difficult questions” about what happened.

Twenty-seven soldiers remain in hospital, officials said. Of the 39 soldiers first taken to hospital, 12 have been discharged. CBC News and Global News reported that officials described all 27 as being in serious condition, while The Canadian Press reported that 13 are in critical condition.

Brig.-Gen. Vanessa Hanrahan, the Canadian Forces provost marshal, said about 30 military police are investigating, gathering witness accounts and examining the scene, but the information they can confirm so far is limited. She said the fire originated as a result of training on the grenade launcher range, and that the location of the fire restricted firefighters’ ability to suppress it.

Strong winds then suddenly pushed the blaze in a new direction across the training range, officials said. Hanrahan said there is no indication that natural gas infrastructure was involved.

Three separate investigations are under way, officials said: one by military police, one by the chief medical examiner’s office and one by a military board of inquiry. Maj.-Gen. Wade Rutland, commander of 1st Canadian Division, had earlier estimated the investigation would take about a month. On Thursday he said he had underestimated the scope of the board of inquiry, which “will take as long as it takes.”

Rutland said the investigations will examine whether training policies were appropriate and how the risk from the fire was assessed before it reached the soldiers. “Alongside investigations already underway, we’ll be reviewing things like our ammunition and our range and training safety standards,” he said, according to CBC News. Carignan repeated her pledge to share the findings.

The four soldiers killed were members of Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry. The military named the four soldiers on Oct. 19. On Wednesday, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said 27 soldiers were still in hospital as Wainwright held a vigil for those killed and injured. Our first report on the fire has details of the initial emergency response.

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With files from The Canadian Press, CBC News, CTV News and Global News.