Live-grenade exercise sparked fire that killed four soldiers at Canada base
High winds drove a blaze from a grenade launcher range across the Wainwright base in Alberta, killing four soldiers and injuring 39, a military official says.
At a glance
- A live-grenade exercise on a grenade launcher range sparked the fire at Wainwright base in Alberta on Saturday.
- Four soldiers died and 39 were injured, with 27 hospitalised, as high winds spread the flames across the base.
- Firefighters could not fight the blaze directly because it was in the range's permanent danger area.
A fire that killed four Canadian soldiers at the Wainwright military base in Alberta was sparked during an exercise using live grenades, a military official said on Thursday.
Brigadier-General Vanessa Hanrahan, commander of the Canadian Forces Military Police Group, told reporters the blaze began on a grenade launcher range during training on Saturday. High winds drove the fire across the base, and a subsequent change in wind direction and speed significantly increased its intensity, she said.
The flames spread from the range into a second training area. Because that ground lies within the range's "permanent danger area", firefighters were unable to combat the fire directly, Hanrahan added.
The training was being carried out by Charlie Company of the 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry. About 84 soldiers were divided between the grenade range and an area where they practised attacks on simulated enemy positions. The fire swept into the second area.
Four soldiers died and 39 were injured, with 27 requiring hospitalisation. The incident was one of the worst peacetime tragedies for Canada's military.
The soldiers and reserve members were taking part in exercises ahead of a planned deployment to Latvia, where Canadian forces have their largest international military operation.
A base on the prairies
Wainwright is one of the largest bases operated by the Canadian Armed Forces and regularly hosts training exercises involving military personnel from NATO countries. It lies in the prairies, a landscape of wide, open grasslands, rolling plains and scattered groves of trees.
The base also has a wartime history: during the final months of World War II and for several months in 1946, it was used as an internment centre for German prisoners of war.
Source: Al Jazeera.
Questions and answers
- How did the fire at Wainwright military base start?
- A military official said it began on a grenade launcher range during an exercise using live grenades, and high winds spread it across the base.
- How many soldiers were killed or injured?
- Four soldiers died and 39 were injured, 27 of whom required hospitalisation. About 84 soldiers were in the training areas when the fire spread.
- Where is the Wainwright military base?
- It is in Alberta, Canada, on the prairies, and is one of the largest bases operated by the Canadian Armed Forces.
