Location of fire on grenade range at Wainwright stymied firefighters: officials

EDMONTON — Canada’s top soldier Gen. Jennie Carignan says she’s “heartbroken” by the tragedy at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright that left four soldiers dead and dozens injured.

Officials at a briefing in Edmonton say 27 remain in hospital and 13 are in critical condition.

Canadian Forces Provost Marshal Brig.-Gen. Vanessa Hanrahan says 30 military police are on the ground investigating but the information they can confirm at this time remains limited.

Hanrahan says the fire originated as a result of training on the grenade fire range.

She says the location prevented firefighters from suppressing the fire before strong winds suddenly swept up the flames and pushed the blaze in a new direction across the training range.

Officials say they continue to believe that natural gas infrastructure was not involved in the accident.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 22, 2026.