Canada ‘united in grief’ for CFB Wainwright fire victims, Carney says

Posted October 19, 2026 10:30 am

2 min read

1:28 Canadian and world leaders react to CFB Wainwright incident

Prime Minister Mark Carney is set to give condolences for the victims of the deadly CFB Wainwright fire as MPs return to the House of Commons.

Carney previously spoke Sunday, telling Canadians that the next of kin of four service members who died in Saturday’s fire had been notified.

“The nation is in mourning for those brave members of our Armed Forces whom we have lost,” Carney said at the time.

He will speak at 11 a.m. Eastern, according to his official itinerary.

The four soldiers killed have been identified as: Sgt. Morgan Wong, Pte. Shaun Farrell, Pte. Aida Goulding and Pte. Hayden Lykkemark.

Wong was from Edmonton and a member of the Loyal Edmonton Regiment. The other three were all members of the 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Infantry (3PPCLI). Though they were based at the Edmonton Garrison, Farrell called Prince Albert, Sask. home while Goulding hailed from North Vancouver and Lykkemark from Langley in B.C.’s Lower Mainland.

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Their deaths came after a routine training exercise for Edmonton-based soldiers descended into chaos at CFB Wainwright when a violent, sudden surge of wind caused a nearby grass fire towards the soldiers at lightning speed.

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“This was uncommon, rapid, and I certainly hadn’t seen anything like it,” Maj.-Gen. Wade Rutland, Commander of 1st Canadian Division, said during an update Sunday afternoon.

2:02 CFB Wainwright: Poilievre offers condolences, praises ‘immense courage’

About 350 troops with the 3PPCLI were participating in exercises at the base, located 200 km southeast of Edmonton.

Rutland said the grass fire was known well beforehand but not considered a threat. It was located about a kilometre away and considered sufficiently under control that training exercises were allowed to take place nearby on Saturday afternoon.

But the surge of wind changed conditions, with the flames then jumping the base fence and threatening nearby rural areas and the town of Wainwright.

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A total of 39 other troops were sent to hospital, with 19 in critical condition as of Sunday afternoon.

“The loss of life and injuries are heartbreaking,” Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said when she announced the casualty count and confirmed many have serious burns.

The wounded are being cared for in four hospitals: the University of Alberta and Royal Alexandra in Edmonton, Foothills in Calgary and the regional hospital in Red Deer.

King Charles III and politicians across Canada are among those to have paid condolences for those killed and injured in the fire.

—with files from Global News’ Karen Bartko, Jeff Semple and Ashleigh Stewart