A military exercise using grenades has sparked a fire at the Wainwright military base in western Canada, killing four soldiers and injuring 39. The fire broke out on October 17 in the province of Alberta and quickly spread through the training area due to strong winds.
Brigadier General Vanessa Hanrahan said the fire started at the automatic grenade launcher range as a result of routine military training. "The fire started at the automatic grenade launcher range as a result of military training that was taking place there," she said, quoted by Reuters.
The fire reached the soldiers within minutes
The exercise involved 84 soldiers from the 3rd Battalion of the Princess Patricia Light Infantry. Most were training with grenades, while 10 soldiers were performing an attack on an enemy position. The training was related to the possible future deployment of Canadian units abroad, including in Latvia.
According to Canadian military officials, a nearby grass fire was initially not assessed as an immediate threat. After a sudden change in wind direction and strength, the flames traveled a long distance in between 30 seconds and one minute and reached the area where the soldiers were.
27 people remain in hospital
Initially, 39 injured people were taken to hospitals in Wainwright, Edmonton, Calgary and Red Deer. As of October 22, 27 of them remained in hospitals, with 13 in critical condition. Some of the injured have severe burns, for which prolonged and specialized treatment is expected.
After the incident, Canada sent about 50 investigators, and the investigation is being led by the National Investigation Service of the Canadian Armed Forces with the support of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. No deadline has been announced for its completion. Prime Minister Mark Carney described the tragedy as one of the worst for the Canadian Armed Forces in peacetime.
Sources: marketscreener.com, apnews.com, globalnews.ca