Grenade exercise sparked deadly fire at Canada military base, army says

High winds propelled the blaze crossed the service basal successful Wainwright, sidesplitting 4 soldiers and injuring dozens more.

A occurrence that killed 4 soldiers astatine a occidental Canadian subject basal was sparked by an workout utilizing unrecorded grenades, a subject authoritative said.

The deadly occurrence broke retired connected a grenade launcher scope during subject exercises connected Saturday, with precocious winds propelling it crossed the base, Brigadier-General Vanessa Hanrahan, commandant of the Canadian Forces Military Police Group, told reporters connected Thursday.

“A consequent alteration successful upwind absorption and velocity importantly accrued the fire’s intensity,” she added, with the flames spreading to a grooming country astatine the Wainwright subject basal successful Alberta.

Due to the blaze being successful the “permanent information area” of the range, firefighters were incapable to straight combat it, Hanrahan added.

The fire spread connected Saturday day during high-intensity combat grooming involving Charlie Company of the 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry.

The subject basal lies successful the prairies, a scenery of wide, unfastened grasslands, rolling plains and scattered groves of trees.

About 84 soldiers were divided betwixt a grenade scope and an country wherever they practised attacks connected simulated force positions. The occurrence swept into the 2nd grooming area.

Four soldiers died and 39 were injured, with 27 requiring hospitalisation. The incidental was 1 of the worst peacetime tragedies for Canada’s military.

The soldiers and reserve members were participating successful exercises up of a planned deployment to Latvia, wherever Canadian forces person their largest planetary subject operation.

The Wainwright basal is 1 of the largest bases operated by the Canadian Armed Forces. It regularly hosts grooming exercises involving subject unit from NATO countries.

During the last months of World War II and for respective months successful 1946, the basal was utilized arsenic an internment centre for German prisoners of war.