Retired major-general says training at CFB Wainwright ‘as real as it can be’

A retired Canadian Armed Forces major-general says training at CFB Wainwright in Alberta is “as real as it can be” to prepare soldiers for combat operations.

A fire broke out at the base’s training area on Saturday night, resulting in deaths and injuries, but the number of casualties hasn’t been disclosed.

Retired Maj.-Gen. David Fraser, who spent much of his over 30-year military career training at CFB Wainwright, says training can involve up to thousands of people depending on the exercise.

He says training at the base 200 kilometres southeast of Edmonton teaches regular and reserve forces to use every weapon in the military’s arsenal, including aircraft.