How a grass fire at a Canadian military base killed four soldiers
Four Canadian soldiers were killed and 39 injured, 19 critically, when a grass fire rapidly spread at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright in Alberta on Saturday morning. The fire, which began during live-fire combat training, engulfed soldiers within a minute after a sudden wind shift propelled it a kilometer. Prime Minister Mark Carney described the incident as one of the worst peacetime tragedies for Canada's military on domestic soil. The cause of the fire remains unknown, though investigators are examining the role of strong winds, with gusts up to 100 km/h reported in the area. A military memo indicated the fire risk was assessed as low prior to the exercise, despite an earlier strong-wind warning from Environment Canada. The Wainwright base is a significant training facility for the Canadian Army.