Byron Farrell salutes the images of his brother Shaun and his three fallen comrades. The City of Prince Albert has announced a vigil on Sunday afternoon at Memorial Square. (Image Credit: Susan McNeil/paNOW)

By Susan McNeil

Memorial Square

Vigil for Prince Albert soldier planned for Sunday

Oct 23, 2026 | 11:19 AM

A vigil for Pte. Shaun Farrell will be held Sunday at Memorial Square next to City Hall.

The City of Prince Albert announced the vigil on social media. It is scheduled for 4 p.m. The city invited friends, neighbours, and other community members to show their support for the Farrell family.

Farrell and three other soldiers were killed after a sudden change in the wind drove a grass fire toward troops training at CFB Wainwright in Alberta. The fire had started during routine training on the automatic grenade launcher range and remained within the range’s Permanent Danger Area 2, which restricted firefighters’ ability to suppress it directly.

This composite of handout images shows Canadian Armed Forces members, left to right, Pte. Hayden Lykkemark, Pte. Shaun Farrell, Pte. Aidan Goulding and Sgt. Morgan Wong, who died during a training exercise at CFB Wainwright in Alberta, on Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026. (Image Credit: Handout – Canadian Armed Forces)

Military police are investigating the incident and issued an update late Thursday.

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Because of the fire’s location, base firefighters monitored it rather than trying to suppress it directly.

“A subsequent change in wind direction and velocity significantly increased the fire’s intensity and rate of speed which led to these tragic events. Furthermore, there is no indication that natural gas infrastructure was involved nor impacted by the fire,” the office of the Canadian Forces Provost Marshal said in a news release.

The fire travelled one kilometre in less than a minute, overtaking the soldiers. The soldiers killed were Farrell, Sgt. Morgan Wong, Pte. Aidan Goulding and Pte. Hayden Lykkemark.

As of Thursday, 27 Canadian Armed Forces members remained in hospital with varying injuries and 12 had been released.

About 28 civilian medical professionals specializing in burn care were flown from Toronto to Edmonton to help treat the injured. Many are being treated in Alberta’s capital because of its proximity to Wainwright.

The military police investigation is being conducted independently of the CAF chain of command. Its role is to establish the facts and determine whether any criminal or service offences may have occurred.

A board of inquiry will also be convened as a separate and independent process. Its terms of reference are being developed.

The 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, has resumed training so it is ready to deploy on future operations.

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susan.mcneil@pattisonmedia.com

by Susan McNeil

Vigil for Prince Albert soldier planned for Sunday

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