Fire at CFB Wainwright kills 4, injures dozens; base has history of deaths
The weekend fire southeast of Edmonton adds to a long list of training-related fatalities recorded at the base over more than two decades.
Why it matters
The fatal fire at a major Alberta military base follows a long pattern of deadly training incidents at the facility southeast of Edmonton.
A fire at CFB Wainwright on Saturday killed four military members and injured dozens of others, according to a Canadian Press report. The base, located southeast of Edmonton, has recorded multiple fatalities over the years during training exercises.
Past incidents at Wainwright include the October 2020 shooting death of a soldier during live-fire training, who was airlifted to an Edmonton hospital and died the next morning. In April 2017, Sgt. Robert J. Dynerowicz was killed and three others injured in a vehicle accident during Exercise Rugged Bear. In November 2014, Pte. Steven Allen, 20, died when a lookout tower collapsed during infantry training.
Other fatalities at the base include Lt.-Col. Dan Bobbitt, killed in May 2014 when a light armoured vehicle rolled over during Exercise Maple Resolve; U.S. army specialist Josef Cerfus, struck by a helicopter-borne cargo load in May 2008; Cpl. Christopher Deliva, killed in a truck rollover in May 2007; and Trooper Kevin Craig Zufelt, found dead in a parked armoured vehicle in May 1999, an incident that also saw 19 paratroopers injured during a night jump.
The Canadian Press report also noted fatal and injury incidents at other Canadian bases, including CFB Shilo in Manitoba and CFB Valcartier in Quebec.
Compiled by the Alberta Daily Desk — an AI-written summary of reporting from the credited sources below, produced and reviewed under our editorial policy.