50 investigators probe Canadian military base fire that killed four soldiers
Prime Minister Mark Carney said the Canadian Forces National Investigation Service was taking the lead.
Fifty investigators are examining a fire at a Canadian military base that killed four soldiers and injured 39 others, Prime Minister Mark Carney said.
The news comes as questions mount over why training continued at the site despite officials knowing a fire was burning nearby.
Speaking in parliament in Ottawa, Mr Carney said the Canadian Forces National Investigation Service was leading the investigation, with support from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, into Saturday’s tragedy at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright in Alberta.
Legislators observed a moment of silence before Mr Carney addressed parliament. Opposition party leaders also paid tribute.
“A fire was burning in the training area. Driven by ferocious winds, the fire jumped nearly a kilometre in less than a minute to where soldiers were gathered,” Mr Carney said.
He said investigators had not determined what ignited the grass fire.
The fire overtook soldiers from 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, and army reservists conducting live-fire training.
Nineteen of the injured were in a critical condition as of Sunday.
Conservative opposition leader Pierre Poilievre, who represents Wainwright in parliament and was visiting the town, said many suffered severe burns requiring weeks or months of intensive care. He warned that their lives might never be the same.
Major General Wade Rutland said on Sunday that military officials knew about the fire for hours but believed it was contained and allowed training to continue before winds suddenly shifted.
About 84 soldiers from Charlie Company were training at two locations, one for throwing grenades and another for practising attacks on simulated enemy positions. The fire swept into the second area.
Mr Carney said the soldiers were preparing for a mission next spring to reinforce Canadian troops serving with Nato in Latvia.
Maj Gen Rutland said investigators would examine whether winds drove the flames towards the soldiers or whether the fire spread unseen through vegetation.
They would also examine whether military safety procedures needed to change.
The military identified those killed as Sergeant Morgan Wong of Edmonton; Private Shaun Farrell of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan; Private Aidan Goulding of North Vancouver, British Columbia; and Private Hayden Lykkemark of Langley, British Columbia.
Mr Poilievre said he had heard accounts of soldiers who ran towards the flames to help their comrades, describing their actions as extraordinary acts of courage.
Military liaison officers were assisting families at hospitals in Edmonton, Calgary, Red Deer and Wainwright.
Mental health teams and chaplains were also supporting soldiers and their families.
“They were training to defend Canada. To serve Canada. Now, Canada serves them,” Mr Carney said.