Canadian grass fire that killed four soldiers raged across a kilometer in just 30 seconds as officials search for cause of blaze

DAILYMAIL.COM • 55m ago

By LAUREN ACTON-TAYLOR, US NEWS REPORTER 22:19 19 Oct 2026, updated 22:59 19 Oct 2026

A grass fire at a Canadian military base killed four soldiers and injured dozens more during training exercises after its rapid spread over just 30 seconds.

The blaze erupted at around 4pm local time on Saturday afternoon at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright, killing four and injuring a further 39 people, including 19 who are listed in critical condition, officials announced on Sunday.

Those killed in the incident were identified as Sergeant Morgan Wong, Private Shaun Farrell, Private Aidan Goulding, 23, and 19-year-old Private Hayden Lykkemark.

‘The nation is in mourning for those brave members of our armed forces who we have lost,’ Prime Minister Mark Carney said, describing the event as ‘one of the worst tragedies for the forces on Canadian soil in peacetime.’

The infantry had been partaking in ‘high-intensity combat training with live munitions’ at a grenade range and attack range, where ten soldiers simulate enemy attack, Major-General Wade Rutland said at a briefing on Sunday.

‘There was a multitude of ordnance moving through the Wainwright training area,’ he said, noting that included a grenade launcher, grenades, small arms and ammunition, the BBC reported.

The fire sparked one kilometer (0.6 miles) from the attack range, but its cause remains unclear.

According to the Department of National Defence, high wind speeds caused the blaze to grow and spread ‘very rapidly’ overtaking the unit administrative area.

‘The fire was a kilometer away when the wind shifted. It is not normal for a fire to move a kilometer in 30 to 60 seconds,’ Rutland said.

‘I spoke to my commander last night, and he said within 30 seconds to a minute they saw no fire, and then there was a fire right on top of them.’

He added at the briefing that investigators ‘do not believe this [incident] to be a result of any oil and gas infrastructure nor any outside interference.’

The Canadian Armed Forces said that ‘while the incident remains under investigation, at this time, there are no indications that it was a result of any terrorist activity.’

Emergency responders deployed 30 units to the base as Royal Alexandra Hospital emergency department doctor Warren Thirsk told CBC that they were ‘completely overwhelmed’ following the incident.

A long-term care resident at the Wainwright Health Centre told Reuters that nurses dropped everything and immediately began to reach for medical equipment when a code orange, a disaster response protocol for high-casualty incidents, was called.

The resident, Brandon Simmons, told the outlet that ambulances continued to arrive ‘throughout the night.’

‘I heard people screaming inside of those vehicles that will never end up being out of my mind,’ Simmons said, describing it ‘like a scene from a war movie.’

Kevin Durham, part of Unit 3PPCLI, wrote on Facebook that his unit had suffered a ‘tragic incident.’

‘As Patricias, we will grieve, but we will not surrender. We will face this tragedy with courage, unity, and the warrior spirit that binds us together. We will support the wounded, comfort the grieving, and honor our fallen by standing strong as one family,’ he wrote.

Nadine Dunford, Lykkemark’s foster mother, said on Facebook that he was ‘so happy’ and had his ‘whole life ahead of him.’

‘I may have been your foster mom but you were part of our family and you will be missed son. We will forever love you, think of you and will keep you in our hearts always,’ she wrote.

According to a GoFundMe, Lykkemark had been fostered by Dunford five years ago after ‘many years of neglect,’ and chose to leave his biological family, finish school and enter the military.

Patricia Farrell, Farrell’s mother, described her ‘darling’ son’s death as a ‘profound loss.’

Goulding’s aunt, Kim Goulding, described him as being ‘so bright, kind and so excited.’

‘And so, so proud to serve in the CAF. You had just graduated in August and had your whole life ahead of you – way too young,’ she wrote.

The base, about 130 miles from Edmonton, is home to around 690 military personnel and 300 civilian workers on a typical day, and is one of the main bases used for live-fire training exercises, the BBC reported.

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