Major General Explains How the Deadly Fire at Alberta Military Base Unfolded

The major fire that claimed four lives and injured dozens more at CFB Wainwright on Oct. 17 began as a grass fire that was considered far enough away not to pose immediate danger, but strong winds suddenly swept it toward military members training at the base, the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) say.

“During the conduct of a training, a grass fire ignited in the training area. The cause of this fire is under active investigation,” Maj.-Gen Wade Rutland said at a press conference in Edmonton on Oct. 18.

“Uncommonly strong winds caused the fire to spread rapidly and shift direction towards the range administrative area. The fire did originate within the training area, and did cross established fire guards before being contained, in conjunction with municipal authorities.”

Rutland said the CAF doesn’t believe the incident is the result of any oil and gas infrastructure explosions, “nor any outside interference.”

He said as part of its safety protocols, the military relies on weather reports before deciding if a certain operation should proceed. On the day of the incident, winds were initially within acceptable range, “well below 50 kilometres” per hour, he said. What happened later that day, however, was “uncommon,” as winds picked up speed at rates he hadn’t seen before, Rutland said.

“The fire was a kilometre away when the wind shifted. It is not normal for a fire to move a kilometre in 30 to 60 seconds,” he said. “I certainly hadn’t seen anything like it.”

Environment Canada had reported winds of up to 100 kilometres per hour in some parts of the province that day.

When reporters asked whether the tragedy could have been prevented, Rutland said he has to wait for the investigation to run its course, which he said could take about a month.

“This is why we have an investigative team out there, and we’ll come up with the right answer. And if our protocols need to change, then they’ll be updated,” he said.

The deadly incident at the military base, located 200 kilometres southeast of Edmonton, left four CAF members dead and 39 injured, with 19 in critical condition.

The names of the service members who lost their lives were identified as Sgt. Morgan Wong from Edmonton; Pte. Shaun Farrell from Prince Alberta, Sask.; Pte. Aida Goulding, from North Vancouver, B.C.; and Pte. Hayden Lykkemark from Langley, B.C.

Training Operation

Rutland said the main unit involved in the training operation was the C (Charlie) Company of the Edmonton-based 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry. The unit was training for two roles: the Global Response Task Force, which requires forces to be ready for deployment to any hot spot around the world within hours, and a deployment to Latvia as part of the ongoing NATO mission.

He said the C Company had about 84 members involved in the operation, while members from other units including reservists were involved in the exercise as well.

“They were doing two things at the time. They were throwing hand grenades on a hand-grenade range, and conducting what we call a section-attack—10 soldiers attacking a simulated enemy,” Rutland said.

He said the fire only affected the administration area of the section-attack range, and the grenade range was unaffected.

Rutland added that the CAF has contingency plans in place for such situations, and so when the incident occurred, “the system kicked in” to bring in “Padre [chaplain] support, notification teams, fellow commanders, and noncommissioned officers surged to go in and help where they could, and it’s now an all base, all army effort to assist with this effort.”

“Our thoughts are with the families and loved ones of those we lost, and with the injured members still receiving care,” he said.

“We stand with the teammates, friends, and units affected by this terrible tragedy.”