ALBERTA, Oct. 19 -- The military knew a grass fire was burning at CFB Wainwright for several hours before it turned on a training area on Saturday and killed four members of the Canadian Armed Forces, a commander said on Sunday. Thirty-nine others were taken to hospital, 19 of them in critical condition.

Maj.-Gen. L.W. Rutland told reporters that the fire ignited in the training area at around 4 p.m. local time, while soldiers were taking part in exercises ahead of a deployment to Latvia, and that officials at the base were aware of it for several hours, according to CTV News. TEH's earlier report on the CFB Wainwright fire had no toll and no cause to give.

What matters is the order of events. Rutland said "uncommonly strong winds" made...