U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra says the United States has made a formal offer of assistance following the Oct. 17 fire at CFB Wainwright in Alberta.
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U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra says the United States has offered help following the deadly fire at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright in Alberta.
In a social media post on Oct. 23—almost a week after the tragedy—Hoekstra said the U.S. government has made a formal offer of assistance and resources to Canada’s federal government to help support the recovery of soldiers affected by traumatic burns, “should it be deemed necessary.”
The military says four soldiers were killed and 39 injured on Oct. 17, when a fire that began during a training exercise on an anti-grenade launching range was picked up by fierce winds.
According to the military, the fire swept in less than a minute about a kilometre away to where a different training exercise was taking place on the base, roughly 200 kilometres southeast of Edmonton.
The military says 27 soldiers remain in hospital, including 13 in critical condition, and that many are being treated for severe burns.
The military says there are three different investigations into the tragedy, and it could not say when more information would be available about how it happened.
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