Global News reported that 2024 range orders at Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Wainwright advised morning live-fire training in October because of grass-fire risk, two years before a blaze there killed four soldiers.
Canada’s Department of National Defence said the fire ignited at about 6 p.m. ET (22:00 UTC) on Oct. 17 as members of the 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, conducted live-fire training during Exercise APOLLO SHOOTER. Four service members died and 39 were injured.
High winds carried the flames into the unit’s administrative area, National Defence said. Environment Canada had issued a yellow-level wind warning for the Wainwright region, forecasting gusts of up to 90 km/h that evening.
Global News said it obtained a 139-page copy of the base’s 2024 Range Standing Orders. The outlet reported that the orders identified October as a month of elevated grass-fire danger and advised units training from August through October to fire early in the day, when the danger was generally lower.
Global News said the orders required personnel to report grass fires immediately. Personnel were also instructed to watch how a fire spread and check weather conditions regularly. The reported document restricted the use of pyrotechnics, tracer rounds and white phosphorus during extreme fire danger, with exceptions for authorized waivers.
The 2024 copy required a yearly review and a new issue after a change of command, Global News reported. National Defence said Lt.-Col. Brian Churney took command of CFB Wainwright on April 4, 2025. Global News could not determine whether the base issued revised orders after that change.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said on Oct. 19 that the fire’s cause had not been determined. Carney pledged resources for the inquiry and identified the Canadian Forces National Investigation Service as the lead investigator, assisted by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. He said 50 investigators were on the ground.
