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

What happened: A military official said a fire that killed four soldiers at the Wainwright base in Alberta was sparked by an exercise using live grenades on a grenade launcher range. Key numbers: Four soldiers died, 39 were injured, 27 required hospitalisation. Why it matters: Hanrahan said a change in wind direction and velocity increased the fire's intensity, and firefighters could not directly combat it because it was in the range's permanent danger area. The incident was one of Canada's worst peacetime military tragedies.

A military official said a fire that killed four soldiers at the Wainwright base in Alberta was sparked by an exercise using live grenades on a grenade launcher range.

Hanrahan said a change in wind direction and velocity increased the fire's intensity, and firefighters could not directly combat it because it was in the range's permanent danger area. The incident was one of Canada's worst peacetime military tragedies.