Four soldiers killed in CFB Wainwright fire as critical injuries extend across 39 military personnel

Four soldiers were killed and 39 military personnel hospitalized when a violent grass fire swept through CFB Wainwright, an armed forces training base southeast of Edmonton, on Saturday afternoon. Nineteen of the hospitalized personnel remain in critical condition; 20 are stable.

The soldiers killed were Pte. Aidan Goulding from North Vancouver, B.C.; Pte. Shaun Farrell from Prince Albert, Saskatchewan; Pte. Hayden Lykkemark from Langley, B.C.; and Sgt. Morgan Wong from Edmonton, Alberta. They were part of the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry. Eighty-four personnel were in the training area when the fire started.

Strong and sudden winds sent flames from the nearby grass fire across the landscape with little warning. Military and civilian crews fought the fire throughout the night "in some of the worst conditions imaginable, risking their lives to protect," according to a statement from Prime Minister Mark Carney on Sunday.

The 84 personnel in training were preparing for an upcoming 2027 deployment to Latvia in Europe. Armed Forces investigators found no indication the fire was result of terrorist activity. Carney said he had requested "a detailed account and a formal briefing" as the situation continued to unfold.