Fire kills four soldiers at Canadian military base during training

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 23 Oct, 06:08 · Archive

Four soldiers died and 39 were injured in a fire that broke out on a grenade launcher range at a Canadian military base in Alberta during training exercises.

A fire that sparked on a grenade launcher range at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright in Alberta on 17 October killed four soldiers and injured 39 others. About 84 soldiers were split between a grenade range and a training area where they practised attacks on simulated enemy positions. High winds propelled the flames across the base to the second training area.

Brigadier-General Vanessa Hanrahan, commander of the Canadian Forces Military Police Group, told reporters that the fire was confined initially to a designated "permanent danger area" of the range, which prevented firefighters from directly combating it. A subsequent change in wind direction and velocity significantly increased the fire's intensity and rate of spread. Of those injured, 27 remained hospitalised and 12 had been treated and released.

The soldiers involved were from Charlie Company of the 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry and Army reservists. They were conducting live-fire training ahead of a planned deployment to Latvia, where Canadian forces have their largest international military operation. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said that 50 investigators had been brought in to probe the fire, with the Canadian Forces National Investigation Service leading the investigation supported by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

How it is being reported

• Grenade exercise sparked deadly fire at Canada military base, army saysHigh winds propelled the blaze across the army base in Wainwright, killing four soldiers and injuring dozens more.Al Jazeera · 23 Oct, 05:41
• Blaze that killed 4 on Canadian military base sparked on grenade launcher rangeA blaze that killed four soldiers and injured several dozen more on a military base in the Canadian province of Alberta last week broke out on a grenade launcher range during training exercises, officials said.CBS News · 23 Oct, 03:50

In this story: Canadian Forces Base Wainwright · Alberta · 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry · Vanessa Hanrahan · Mark Carney · Latvia · Canada · Royal Canadian Mounted Police

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