27 Canadian soldiers remain hospitalized after Alberta training fire that killed 4
Twenty-seven Canadian soldiers remain hospitalized after a fire swept through a military training area in Alberta, killing four soldiers, officials say. Thirteen of the injured are in critical condition.
The fire overtook troops just before 4 p.m. on Saturday at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright. Members of C Company, 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, were setting up for a pairs training range alongside attached reservists and medical personnel.
Dr. Sayeh Zielke, CEO of Acute Care Alberta, said Thursday that 27 soldiers remain in hospitals across the province, including 13 in critical condition. Their care includes expertise from specialized burn centers in Edmonton and Calgary, two of Canada’s four such facilities.
At least 12 of the 39 injured soldiers have been discharged but will continue to receive follow-up care, according to Major-General Wade Rutland, commander of the 1st Canadian Division.
Brigadier-General Vanessa Hanrahan, the Canadian Forces provost marshal, said investigators have confirmed that the fire began during routine military training on an automatic grenade launcher range.
The blaze initially remained within the range’s permanent danger area, which restricted firefighters’ ability to fight it directly. Range control and the base fire hall monitored the fire throughout the day.
A subsequent change in wind direction and speed significantly increased the fire’s intensity and rate of spread, Hanrahan said. Rutland said unusually strong winds drove the flames toward the soldiers’ position before the fire crossed the base’s fire guard and burned beyond the training area.
Eight military firefighters initially responded, and a second platoon was brought in to reinforce the base fire hall. Crews from the town and municipal district of Wainwright also helped contain the blaze.
Soldiers and medics immediately began treating casualties. The injured were first cared for in Wainwright before being flown to hospitals across Alberta by air ambulances and Royal Canadian Air Force helicopters.
Those killed were Sergeant Morgan Wong, Private Shaun Farrell, Private Aidan Goulding and Private Hayden Lykkemark. Wong belonged to the Loyal Edmonton Regiment and was serving with the battalion. The other three were members of the Edmonton-based battalion.
Rutland corrected his initial account that the soldiers were conducting a section attack range, which normally involves eight to 10 soldiers. They were instead preparing for a pairs range, in which two soldiers attack a target while taking turns covering and firing for one another.
Hanrahan said there was no indication that natural gas infrastructure was involved in or affected by the incident.
Canadian Forces military police are leading the police investigation, working with the chief medical examiner’s office and the Canadian Armed Forces fire marshal.
A separate board of inquiry has been placed under the Canadian Army commander’s authority, above the divisional chain of command, and will be led by a general or flag officer to ensure its independence.
Investigators must also determine why the known grass fire was not initially assessed as a threat.
“Canadians and families are rightly asking how that assessment was reached, what information it was based on, and whether different decisions should have been made,” Rutland said. “Those are amongst the central questions the investigation must answer.”
The post 27 Canadian soldiers remain hospitalized after Alberta training fire that killed 4 appeared first on BNO News.
Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
