A fire that tore through a Canadian Armed Forces training ground in Wainwright, Alta., on Saturday killed four soldiers and injured 39 others.
asserted
that → tear → others
False and misleading claims about the fire and its cause spread online this week.
uncertain
claims → spread → fire
The Claim
The post claimed someone shot a high explosive round that went off course and struck a gas well, which then exploded and started the fatal fire.
uncertain
which → claim → fire
The post also claimed the explosion destroyed three structures with about 300 soldiers inside.
asserted
explosion → claim → soldiers
Similar posts on X and Facebook suggested the fire was caused by a live fire drill triggering the explosion of a gas well.
uncertain
drill → suggest → well
The Facts
Defence officials have not released the official cause of the fire.
asserted
officials → release → fire
Early news reports in the immediate aftermath of the fire did suggest a gas well could have been involved.
uncertain
well → suggest → fire
Global News, citing multiple military sources, initially reported that a live-fire training exercise hit a gas line or gas well on the base, causing an explosion.
asserted
exercise → cite → explosion
Global later updated its story, writing, “A preliminary investigation suggests a munition from the live training exercise sparked a fast-moving grass fire, which caused an explosion.”
uncertain
which → update → explosion
The latest information from military officials as of Monday says strong and sudden winds sent flames from a nearby grass fire toward 84 members of Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry who were in a training area.
asserted
who → say → area
Maj.-Gen. Wade Rutland, commander of the 1st Canadian Division, said most of the soldiers were throwing hand grenades on a range while 10 others were doing a simulated attack on an enemy.
asserted
others → say → enemy
He said leaders were aware of the grass fire that had ignited roughly a kilometre away, but the fire was “right on top” of the group within 30 seconds to a minute.
Rutland said army officials do not believe the fire was the result of an explosion from natural gas infrastructure.
asserted
fire → say → infrastructure
The Alberta Energy Regulator said that while it maintains oil and natural gas infrastructure at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright, it has not received reports of incidents regarding that infrastructure.
asserted
it → say → infrastructure
“The AER continues to monitor the situation and has not been engaged by the lead agency or other provincial agencies in any response at this time,” the regulator said in a statement Sunday.
asserted
regulator → continue → statement
The Claim
A TikTok video from Oct. 18 shows someone speaking about the incident in front of a green screen, which shows multiple separate videos.
uncertain
which → show → videos
One clip shows an explosion in what appears to be a residential area; another shows a burnt landscape; other clips show large plumes of smoke.
asserted
clips → show → smoke
The video received more than 200,000 views.
asserted
video → receive → views
The video of the burnt landscape was posted to an Alberta Facebook group by a user who lists the location as south of Wainwright.
asserted
who → burn → Wainwright
A reverse image search shows the clip is of an explosion at an ammunitions factory in Italy in August, as reported by multiple local and international media outlets.
asserted
clip → show → outlets
One of the videos depicts the aftermath of a U.S. air force bomber crash in California in June, and The Canadian Press was unable to link it or any of the other smoke plume videos to CFB Wainwright.
asserted
Press → depict → Wainwright
An Oct. 19 X post claimed the federal government’s Earthquakes Canada website recorded a 3.7 magnitude earthquake in Wainwright at the time of the fire.
asserted
website → claim → fire
The Prime Minister and other officials “only talk of a fast moving fire — not an explosion,” the post reads.
asserted
post → talk → fire
The Facts
Earthquakes Canada, which records earthquakes using data from seismic stations across Canada, did not record any seismic events the day of the fire.
asserted
which → record → fire
It recorded a 3.7 magnitude earthquake in Canmore, Alta., the day before.
asserted
It → record → Canmore
The Claim
In an X post Sunday, a user claimed a Canadian Army major with the last name Singh had confirmed that a PFC, or private first class, fired an artillery shell at a natural gas well during windy conditions.
uncertain
PFC → claim → conditions
The post received around 4,500 likes, with many users seeming to take the post at face value.
asserted
users → receive → value
The Facts
Maj.-Gen. Rutland is the military official who has shared details publicly about the fire.
asserted
who → share → fire
The X user has a history of making racist, false and inflammatory posts.
asserted
user → have → posts
The Aporia
