The brother of one of the fallen soldiers at CFB Wainwright is demanding answers from the Canadian military after a fast-moving fire ripped through the base during a training exercise, killing four and leaving dozens more injured.
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fire → fall → dozens
Through tears in an interview from his home in Prince Albert, SK, Byran Farrell said he didn’t understand why more safety precautions weren’t taken Saturday, when his brother, Pte. Shaun Farrell, was participating in training amid forecasted high winds and a fire burning nearby.
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brother → say → winds
“The Canadian Army killed my brother, and they killed those three other men as well,” Farrell told the Star.
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Farrell → kill → Star
“They died for nothing.”
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They → die → nothing
Shaun Farrell, 23, died alongside Sgt. Morgan Wong from Edmonton, Pte. Aidan Goulding from North Vancouver, and Pte. Hayden Lykkemark from Langley, B.C. Thirty nine people were injured in the blaze, 19 of whom were listed in critical condition on Sunday.
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19 → die → Sunday
The Farrell family — Shaun, Byran and their parents —moved to Prince Albert from South Africa in 2017, when Shaun was 14 years old.
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Shaun → move → 2017
They loved Canada and renounced their South African citizenship, Farrell said.
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Farrell → love → citizenship
His brother had a lifelong dream of joining the military.
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brother → have → military
Even as a little kid, Farrell said, Shaun was always running around, declaring: “I want to join the army.”
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I → say → army
He had overcome learning challenges including dyslexia to fulfil it, his brother said.
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brother → overcome → it
Enlisting prompted a change in Shaun.
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Enlisting → prompt → Shaun
He was no longer a shy, quiet boy who stayed in his room.
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who → stay → room
“I’ve never seen my brother happier in his life,” Farrell said.
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Farrell → see → life
It was evident Shaun was making friends in the military.
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Shaun → make → military
Since his death, Farrell has heard from them, including a medic who had been looking for Shaun amid the flames.
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who → hear → flames
He apologized for not finding him, Farrell said.
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Farrell → apologize → him
When military officials came to the door to inform his family that Shaun had died in the fire, Farrell said he didn’t hide his emotions or his belief that his brother was “failed.”
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brother → come → emotions
“I was mad at them,” he said.
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he → say → them
“I told them in the future, for next time, make sure you take the right procedures and the safety procedures, so this doesn’t happen again … and we don’t lose more innocent Canadian troops for no reason.”
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we → tell → reason
The deadly fire at CFB Wainwright has been described by Prime Minister Mark Carney as one of the worst peacetime tragedies on Canadian soil for the country’s military.
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fire → describe → military
On Monday, Carney vowed that the military will conduct a thorough investigation to determine how the tragedy unfolded.
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tragedy → vow → investigation
He said the cause of the fire is still unknown, but that it was burning during training exercises and jumped nearly a kilometre in less than a minute amid “ferocious winds.”
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it → say → winds
The Canadian Forces National Investigation Service, the independent investigative arm of the military, is leading the probe.
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Service → lead → probe
Among the key questions: Why were training exercises taking place despite the forecasted gusts of wind and military officials knowing about the nearby blaze?
Since the names of the four fallen soldiers have been released, tributes have poured in from across the country – from relatives, friends and fellow troops.
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tributes → take → relatives
‘A phenomenal leader’
Andrew Pearson served alongside Sgt. Morgan Wong from 2017 until he left the military in 2022.
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he → serve → 2022
The two became friends during that time, and stayed in contact long after.
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two → become → contact
Pearson described Wong as a “phenomenal leader” and passionate outdoorsman who possessed a quiet confidence.
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who → describe → confidence
Wong was impressive in every way, Pearson said.
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Pearson → say → way
He managed to earn a bachelor’s degree in finance and work a government job while serving his country.
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He → manage → country
And he volunteered his time to mentor youth through the non-profit Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada.
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he → volunteer → Canada
Pearson said one of the biggest metrics the military uses to show confidence and competence is through the promotion system — for Wong to go from untrained private to a sergeant leading troops in a short time, by age 26, “speaks for itself.”
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Wong → say → itself
“He had the respect and confidence of everybody in his unit.”
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He → have → unit
Pearson remembers doing Arctic warfare training with Wong near Yellowknife in the middle of winter.
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Pearson → remember → winter
It felt like -40 C and they were camping in tents while trekking to the city.
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they → feel → city
Wong never complained, not there or anytime, Pearson said, describing his stoicism and capacity for hardship as unmatched.
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Pearson → complain → hardship
He pulled up a photograph from that trip.
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He → pull → trip
“We all have our Arctic balaclavas on and there’s Morgan, rocking no balaclava, just with his face out,” Pearson said with a laugh.
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Pearson → have → laugh
That was Wong, he said.
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he → say → ?
In his House of Commons speech, Carney said Wong, of the Loyal Edmonton Regiment, was preparing for a second tour in Latvia, where the Canadian military is leading a NATO force to deter further Russian aggression in the Baltic.
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military → say → Baltic
The others who were killed, Shaun Farrell, Hayden Lykkemark, 19, and Aidan Goulding, 23, all served with the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry.
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who → kill → Infantry
…and 1 more, not listed.
The Aporia
