17 Oct 2026: Major fire at CFB Wainwright

[MilEME09]

Yes and a couple of them need a good swift ass kicking for the diarrhea being spewed.

Like this lovely one? Like i cant even with these people

 

[Underway]

Lets not get sidetracked here. The Russian bots are busy. As are other foreign actors. We'll never know the difference.

Any new news on the situation?

I've reached out to my team with resources as a few of them know folks effected. I suggest other leaders here do the same. All it takes a a simple text in the group chat to let them know we got you.

 

[MilEME09]

I've reached out to my team with resources as a few of them know folks effected. I suggest other leaders here do the same. All it takes a a simple text in the group chat to let them know we got you.

Buddy checks etc, also trying to organize a bunch of us to go down and donate blood

 

[brihard]

Like this lovely one? Like i cant even with these people
View attachment 102686

The info space is a water buffalo, and some people just have to be Vandoos.

 

[Cloud Cover]

I don't know where SAR techs are posted, but augmenting from other locations would not be unexpected in this sort of an incident.

Did they come from Winnipeg or Comox?

 

[MilEME09]

Did they come from Winnipeg or Comox?

Winnipeg via c130

 

[Cloud Cover]

Winnipeg via c130

I eagerly await the full story on this part.

 

[brihard]

Did they come from Winnipeg or Comox?

Looks to have been Winnipeg. I saw a Herc leave Winnipeg at the right time headed for Wx, and someone else commenting on the flight trackers noticed it was from 435.

 

[dapaterson]

I eagerly await the full story on this part.

Global News had pictures of parachutists descending.

 

[brihard]

Global News had pictures of parachutists descending.

I’ve seen video of a couple jumping in as well, plus several gathering their chutes and kit after landing. The general confirmed it today during the presser, though without much detail.

 

[MilEME09]

I’ve seen video of a couple jumping in as well, plus several gathering their chutes and kit after landing. The general confirmed it today during the presser, though without much detail.

Yeah, seems like they needed someone from the RCAF there to clarify that part.

 

[brihard]

Yeah, seems like they needed someone from the RCAF there to clarify that part.

It wasn’t even part of the briefing… Extraneous detail. A reporter asked about it.

 

[Ludoc]

It wasn’t even part of the briefing… Extraneous detail. A reporter asked about it.

Yes, but they could have anticipated a question like that. It made the news coverage, as did the Herc. Would it not be reasonable to have someone from the RCAF on hand to answer potential questions? Just like the Premier brought a couple of SMEs to give details on things she wasn't read up on.

 

[daftandbarmy]

Yes, but they could have anticipated a question like that. It made the news coverage, as did the Herc. Would it not be reasonable to have someone from the RCAF on hand to answer potential questions? Just like the Premier brought a couple of SMEs to give details on things she wasn't read up on.

Which begs the question: Where was the CDS?

 

[medicineman]

It must be remembered that unless a full Field Ambulance is deployed on a Ex, there are only limited resources available - a few dismounted Medics, a couple of Ambs, maybe a small UMS with a Doc or PA. A standard UMS under mod tentage had two trauma bays, and the Weatherhaven shelter UMS has only one. Three or more critical casualties and you start to get overwhelmed immediately. The next issue is comms (which suck in the best of situations), and the C2 in general. The Amb dets on the Ex would not be able to talk directly to the Base clinic or to civilian Ambs, or a base hospital. If you're lucky, you relay over personal cell phones. Plus, our Base/Wing clinics are not 24/7 facilities. With a fast moving fire, where do you collect the casualties? Where are you staging from? Where is the nearest exchange point with civilian Ambs? Can rotary wing safely get close? Did the exercise C2 suffer loss of comms or control if they had to evacuate?

My heart breaks for the medics out there. I am guessing that some of them had to make decisions far past what their experience level had prepared them for. I hope they get the support they may need as they move forward.

So, while the Fd Ambs do train for MASCAL scenarios, I don't believe there was a full Fd Amb out there. Just personnel and a handful of Ambs supporting the Ex.

I may be wrong, but that's my guess with the info on hand.

I have my doubts 1 Fd Amb was there in toto...likely atts/dets to make up the UMS...and what ever folks were at the Base Clinic in Wainwright proper. I well remember (sometimes wake up in a cold sweat still) having 4 folks getting fragged on a live fire range I was covering on predeployment training a number of years ago, and having our UMS with a lot of folks to back me up - I really feel for whoever was there pretty much alone and not only having to sort and treat folks, but also likely having to rapidly and recurrently redeploy their CCP to keep up with the fire. One of the things I dread where I work is what happens if we have a mass shooting/stabbing/building fire/bus wreck/plane crash - not only the triage needed, but there is coordination of medevacs to our referral centres, transporting them, storage of patients, keeping track of them, and I've yet to see a nursing station or Rez clinic actual MASCAL/Code Orange Plan. I get looked at like I'm a 4 headed alien when I ask.

No. If memory serves:

103 SAR Sqn Gander
413 Transport and Rescue Sqn Greenwod
424 Transport and Rescue Sqn Trenton
435 Transport and Rescue Sqn Winnipeg, and
442 Transport and Rescue Sqn Comox

All other RCAF squadrons can be tasked with SAR duties when necessary.

I seem to recall that 417 Combat Support Sqn in Cold Lake has a few SAR Techs...they at least have the yellow Griffons...

Like this lovely one? Like i cant even with these people
View attachment 102686

SO many phuquewits...not enough live ammo...

 

[Furniture]

Yes, but they could have anticipated a question like that. It made the news coverage, as did the Herc. Would it not be reasonable to have someone from the RCAF on hand to answer potential questions? Just like the Premier brought a couple of SMEs to give details on things she wasn't read up on.

I think the CAF made the right choice to the 1 Div Commander speak as the representative for the whole CAF.

The whole story will come out over time, but the first offical public address isn't the time to get into the weeds.

 

[BeyondTheNow]

The wind event yesterday was rare...but not unheard of.

That being said high winds and cured grass...that's the sort of situations that scare me as a trained professional wildland guy.

Been to Wainwright several times visiting CAF members. It's a very unreal, and dynamic aspect going on.

My condolences to the families affected and the CAF as a whole.
The wind event yesterday was rare...but not unheard of.

That being said high winds and cured grass...that's the sort of situations that scare me as a trained professional wildland guy.

Been to Wainwright several times visiting CAF members. It's a very unreal, and dynamic aspect going on.

My condolences to the families affected and the CAF as a whole

To give a broader, yet clearer, understanding of the wind event for those who may not know from a local, we’re not too far from Wainwright. Primarily, we’re in central AB and these unexpected and fierce high winds are becoming more and more common…and often with little to know foresight.

Speaking of that specific one, it quite literally came out of nowhere and the geographical area it affected was massive—a large radius stretching from Edmonton right down to Calgary (& slightly beyond). Some gusts were reported as high as 100-120km/hr (think wind tunnels and/or micro bursts of air current in random areas).

In my particular neighbourhood, the entire spell lasted approx 2hrs, some homes/property suffering significant damage.

Idk/haven’t read if there are finer details available as to how long the fire had been going before the winds changed, but am not surprised in the least to hear that those involved wouldn’t have had time to respond accordingly. My heart goes out to everyone impacted. Truly a terrible, terrible situation.

 

[Furniture]

To give a broader, yet clearer, understanding of the wind event for those who may not know from a local, we’re not too far from Wainwright. Primarily, we’re in central AB and these unexpected and fierce high winds are becoming more and more common…and often with little to know foresight.

Speaking of that specific one, it quite literally came out of nowhere and the geographical area it affected was massive—a large radius stretching from Edmonton right down to Calgary (& slightly beyond). Some gusts were reported as high as 100-120km/hr (think wind tunnels and/or micro bursts of air current in random areas).

In my particular neighbourhood, the entire spell lasted approx 2hrs, some homes/property suffering significant damage.

Idk/haven’t read if there are finer details available as to how long the fire had been going before the winds changed, but am not surprised in the least to hear that those involved wouldn’t have had time to respond accordingly. My heart goes out to everyone impacted. Truly a terrible, terrible situation.

Without derailing this too much, the wind was definitely not unexpected. It was the result of the passage of a sharp cold front that had been forecast.

I'm pretty much 100% confident a weather warning for the base would have been issued, along with the public warning for the area. There is a CAF unit dedicated to producing weather forecasts and warnings for CAF sites across the country.

The investigation will bring all of the details to light over time, and many lessons are likely to be learned.

 

[BeyondTheNow]

Without derailing this too much, the wind was definitely not unexpected. It was the result of the passage of a sharp cold front that had been forecast.

I'm pretty much 100% confident a weather warning for the base would have been issued, along with the public warning for the area. There is a CAF unit dedicated to producing weather forecasts and warnings for CAF sites across the country.

The investigation will bring all of the details to light over time, and many lessons are likely to be learned.

That’s fair. I’m released now, so can’t speak to the info Wainwright/CAF/Met Techs specifically had.

From a local standpoint, simply explaining to those not in the area what it was like. While we did eventually get weather alerts, wind conditions had already started in many areas. The day started out clear & calm and was that way right until it started, as well as immediately after it ended—in my geographical area. Additionally, the same fronts coming & going happen rather frequently these days and often without much attached.

 

[Navy_Pete]

Maybe a dumb question, but what do the SARtechs bring to the table in this kind of scenario? Search and extraction from a fire area is a core firefighter job function that does need some training and equipment that the SAR techs don't have, so if more resources were needed there are a lot of other avenues to get that augmented (like other FDs in a reverse aid to power).

Just asking as a distraction to what is really a tragic situation.