Ignitions and deaths are different questions. Britain logged 385 training-caused wildfires with no mass-casualty day, while single wind shifts killed six at Lohatla and four at Wainwright.
Back to the trend of the day: Canadian army grass fire kills four soldiers, at least 19 badly burned
Poly Rating · from the trend of the day
Military training grass fire deaths: Top 9 range fires
Britain's army started 385 wildfires on its own land in under three years without a mass-casualty day, yet one wind shift at Lohatla killed six soldiers and one at Wainwright killed four.
- No. 1: Lohatla Combat Training Centre fire, South Africa, 2023
- 9 places
01Final list
The leading AIs each built their own list of ten independently. Here is one result that is easy to check: every place has a reason, a source, and the list of AIs that included it.
Order: from most to least AI agreement.
A bright badge means this AI put the entry on its list. A dim badge means it did not.
- 1
Lohatla Combat Training Centre fire, South Africa, 2023
The deadliest: six soldiers killed by a fire that started outside the range and crossed in. Gusts are given as 70, 73 or 74 km/h depending on who speaks.
Included it: ChatGPT, Grok, Gemini, Claude, Nemotron, Kimi, DeepSeek. Did not include: Meta, Wenxin.In their lists: ChatGPT: 1 · Grok: 2 · Gemini: 2 · Claude: 1 · Nemotron: 1 · Kimi: 2 · DeepSeek: 2
What each AI noted 7
- ChatGPTplace 1
Six soldiers died after a fire from an adjacent mine crossed into the training area in winds reported by Parliament at 73 km/h.
- Grokplace 2
Six soldiers died after a fire that began outside the range crossed in on a wind the army put at about 70 km/h.
Source ↗ - Geminiplace 2
Six soldiers died and three were injured when an external wildfire jumped base firebreaks in 70 km/h gusts during Exercise Vuk'uhlome.
- Claudeplace 1
The fire started outside the range and still killed six soldiers. A second front from a different direction did most of the damage to vehicles.
- Nemotronplace 1
6 soldiers killed, 3 critically burned when 70 km/h gusts drove external fire into range; Parliament inquiry blamed inadequate early-warning and vehicle allocation
- Kimiplace 2
6 dead, 3 injured — the fire did not start on the range at all: a Kathu/Gamagara bush fire blew in on 70 km/h gusts with 5–10 m flame fronts over 1,300 soldiers on exercise.
Source ↗ - DeepSeekplace 2
The fire came from outside the base; 73 km/h winds turned firebreaks into a speed bump and destroyed 12 Casspirs.
7 AIs put it here - 2
UK Ministry of Defence training wildfires, 2023–2025
Training caused 385 of 439 wildfires on MoD land with no mass-casualty day. Fires in range danger areas are left to burn because shells may still explode.
Included it: ChatGPT, Grok, Gemini, Claude, Nemotron, Kimi, DeepSeek. Did not include: Meta, Wenxin.In their lists: ChatGPT: 4 · Grok: 8 · Gemini: 5 · Claude: see list · Nemotron: 4 · Kimi: 6 · DeepSeek: 4
What each AI noted 7
- ChatGPTplace 4
385 of 439 wildfires on MoD land were attributed to current army manoeuvres, but most did not become reported mass-casualty events.
Source ↗ - Grokplace 8
Crews were dodging Second World War shells while most new MoD fires were being left alone.
Source ↗ - Geminiplace 5
Where unexploded ordnance forced a let-it-burn policy across the UK's largest live-fire zone after training ignited 385 fires in 32 months.
- Claude
Named differently in its own list: open the full list.
see list - Nemotronplace 4
385 of 439 wildfires on MoD land caused by training; zero military deaths; let-burn policy retained for UXO areas despite 2024 parliamentary scrutiny
- Kimiplace 6
385 of 439 wildfires on MoD land were caused by training — hundreds of ignitions, almost none with casualties — the dataset that separates 'fires' from 'fatal days'.
Source ↗ - DeepSeekplace 4
385 of 439 MoD wildfires were caused by training, and most in impact zones are left to burn because of unexploded shells.
Source ↗
7 AIs put it here - 3
State Mine fire, Marrangaroo army range, Lithgow, Australia, 2013
No one died. The coroner measured 54,862 ha (other reports 46,000–56,000), and the detonation went ahead only because the danger threshold had been raised.
Included it: ChatGPT, Grok, Gemini, Claude, Nemotron, Kimi, DeepSeek. Did not include: Meta, Wenxin.In their lists: ChatGPT: 3 · Grok: 4 · Gemini: 3 · Claude: 3 · Nemotron: 3 · Kimi: 4 · DeepSeek: 3
What each AI noted 7
- ChatGPTplace 3
Military explosives training was blamed for a fire that burned over 47,000 hectares, but the reported harm was a threat to communities rather than soldier deaths.
Source ↗ - Grokplace 4
Ordnance on an army range started a fire the coroner measured at 54,862 hectares, with no deaths.
- Geminiplace 3
Explosive ordnance training under extreme fire danger ignited 52,000 hectares and destroyed dozens of homes, prompting a civilian-risk overhaul.
- Claudeplace 3
Over 46,000 hectares from exploding ordnance on an army range, with no deaths. Defence's own inquiry called that good fortune.
Source ↗ - Nemotronplace 3
Exploding ordnance on army range ignited 46,000+ ha fire; no soldier deaths but 2 civilian fatalities, 193 homes destroyed; NSW RFS inquiry changed defence-civilian coordination
- Kimiplace 4
Zero deaths but 54,862 hectares — one ordnance-disposal demolition on a high-danger day, one 95 km/h gust front, and range standing orders were rewritten nationwide.
Source ↗ - DeepSeekplace 3
No soldier died, but 46,000 hectares and homes burned because the range had 20 years without hazard reduction and live ordnance blocked firefighters.
7 AIs put it here - 4
Fort Carson training fires, Colorado
Twenty training fires in 12 months on one post, from a single report. A tanker pilot died on an earlier Training Area 25 fire; the 2018 Carson Midway fire hurt no one.
Included it: Grok, Gemini, DeepSeek. Did not include: ChatGPT, Meta, Claude, Nemotron, Kimi, Wenxin.In their lists: Grok: 6 · Gemini: 7 · DeepSeek: 5
What each AI noted 3
- Grokplace 6
Twenty training fires in a year on one post, and a tanker pilot killed by wind on an earlier one.
Source ↗ - Geminiplace 7
Live-ammunition small arms practice ignited 13,800 acres in 40 mph gusts, prompting immediate tracer suspensions during Red Flag warnings.
- DeepSeekplace 5
A live-ammo aviation exercise burned 3,300 acres and two homes, then the Army changed training rather than wait for a board.
Source ↗
3 AIs put it here - 5
CFB Suffield grass fire, Alberta, 2017
Blowing up one old shell during a fire ban burned about 36,500 ha and killed at least 160 cattle, but no soldiers. The inquiry's 17 recommendations stayed private.
Included it: Grok, Claude. Did not include: ChatGPT, Meta, Gemini, Nemotron, Kimi, DeepSeek, Wenxin.In their lists: Grok: 5 · Claude: 4
What each AI noted 2
- Grokplace 5
Blowing up one old shell, under a fire ban, burned about 36,500 hectares and at least 160 cattle, and no soldiers.
Source ↗ - Claudeplace 4
Soldiers blew up an old artillery shell and the fire reached 36,500 hectares and killed at least 160 cattle. The report with 17 fixes stayed private.
Source ↗
2 AIs put it here - 6
Warren Grove Gunnery Range fire, New Jersey, 2007
A flare dropped too low from a National Guard jet burned more than 17,000 acres, destroyed four homes and seriously injured two people.
Included it: Claude, DeepSeek. Did not include: ChatGPT, Meta, Grok, Gemini, Nemotron, Kimi, Wenxin.In their lists: Claude: 8 · DeepSeek: 9
What each AI noted 2
- Claudeplace 8
A flare dropped by an F-16 was believed to have started a fire that caused about 6,000 people to be evacuated at first.
Source ↗ - DeepSeekplace 9
A flare dropped too low burned 17,000 acres, destroyed four homes and injured two people.
2 AIs put it here - 7
Lolldaiga conservancy fire, Kenya, 2021
One civilian helper was crushed by a vehicle. A soldier's kerosene stove burned about 12,000 acres, and the lesson was legal: 7,723 Kenyans shared about $3.7M in 2025.
Included it: ChatGPT, Kimi. Did not include: Meta, Grok, Gemini, Claude, Nemotron, DeepSeek, Wenxin.In their lists: ChatGPT: 5 · Kimi: 3
What each AI noted 2
- ChatGPTplace 5
The incident became a long-running dispute over damage and accountability; one death reported in connection with suppression was caused by a vehicle, not direct flame exposure.
Source ↗ - Kimiplace 3
12,000 acres burned and one rescuer killed by a vehicle — the safety lesson became legal: UK sovereign immunity failed in court and 7,723 Kenyans were paid in 2025.
Source ↗
2 AIs put it here - 8
Range 12 Fire, Yakima Training Center, Washington, 2016
A ricocheting tracer on a red-flag afternoon burned between 153,000 and 176,600 acres depending on the source, and no one was hurt. Garrison orders said stop firing above 10 mph.
Included it: ChatGPT, Grok. Did not include: Meta, Gemini, Claude, Nemotron, Kimi, DeepSeek, Wenxin.In their lists: ChatGPT: 6 · Grok: 3
What each AI noted 2
- ChatGPTplace 6
A live-fire round reportedly ignited brush, showing how a single ammunition ignition can create a large wildfire without a published mass-casualty toll.
- Grokplace 3
A tracer round on a red-flag afternoon burned 176,600 acres, and no one was killed.
Source ↗
2 AIs put it here - 9
Camp Williams National Guard fire, Utah, 2010
A National Guard live-fire session in 64–80 km/h winds forced more than 1,600 homes to evacuate and destroyed four; the Guard commander took the blame.
Included it: Claude, DeepSeek. Did not include: ChatGPT, Meta, Grok, Gemini, Nemotron, Kimi, Wenxin.In their lists: Claude: 7 · DeepSeek: 6
What each AI noted 2
- Claudeplace 7
A National Guard live-fire session set off a blaze that forced more than 1,600 homes to evacuate.
- DeepSeekplace 6
A .50-calibre exercise and 80 km/h winds forced 1,600 homes to evacuate; the Guard commander took responsibility.
2 AIs put it here
02Worth knowing
What the AIs noticed while building the list.
Both deadly fires turned on the wind, from opposite starts. Lohatla's came over the fence from a mine; Wainwright's began inside the training area and then swung toward the troops.
Wainwright's fire was known for hours and judged under control a kilometre away. It covered that distance in 30 to 60 seconds after the wind shifted.
Firefighters stay out of live ranges, from Marrangaroo in 2013 to Salisbury Plain in 2026. The fire is left to burn, and when there is harm it is usually off the range.
Before Lolldaiga, the British Army caused five smaller fires in Kenya in five weeks. None were investigated, because the MoD investigates only fires with injuries or losses.
03How we counted
In plain words, no formulas.
1The question
Top 10 grass fires on military training ranges and the safety lessons each one left
2Why this topic
Readers get the history of range fires that is missing from the Canadian lists going around today. Those lists count rollovers and shootings and never include a grass fire.
3Where it applies
global
4What we looked at
- Published deaths and serious injuries during training, set beside published ignition counts that mostly record no casualties
- Whether the fire started inside the range or came in from outside on a wind shift
- Wind speed reported at the time
- What changed afterwards: rules, inquiries, or a let-it-burn policy kept in place
- BBC, from UK Ministry of Defence figures released under freedom of information — Wildfires on MoD land and how many training caused. These are ignitions, not casualties.
- South African Parliament defence committee (oversight report) — Lohatla: where the fire started, the timeline, wind, deaths and equipment lost
- NSW Coroner, Marrangaroo (State Mine) findings, 2019 — Cause, area burned, casualties and weather of the 2013 range fire
- Canadian Armed Forces briefings and Environment Canada, via the Globe and Mail and CTV — Wainwright deaths, hospital counts, where the fire started, and measured versus forecast wind
5Who ranked
The leading AIs, each building its own list of ten independently and naming a source for every place: ChatGPT, Meta, Grok, Gemini, Claude, Nemotron, Kimi, DeepSeek, Wenxin.
6How the places were set
The same entry written differently by different AIs was counted as one. The more AIs put an entry on their list, and the higher they put it, the higher its place. "AI agreement" shows how many of the AIs had it on their own list. Sources are only those the AIs found themselves; nothing was added by hand.
04Each AI's own list
🇺🇸 ChatGPT10 places · 2 notes
The same question, answered by ChatGPT alone. The final list above combines all the AIs.
- 1Lohatla Combat Training Centre fire (South Africa, 2023)
Six soldiers died after a fire from an adjacent mine crossed into the training area in winds reported by Parliament at 73 km/h.
- 2CFB Wainwright training-area grass fire (Canada, 2026)
Four soldiers died and 19 of 39 injured people were reported in critical condition after the fire moved about a kilometre in roughly 30–60 seconds.
Source ↗ - 3State Mine fire, Lithgow (Australia, 2013)
Military explosives training was blamed for a fire that burned over 47,000 hectares, but the reported harm was a threat to communities rather than soldier deaths.
Source ↗ - 4MoD training-estate wildfires (United Kingdom, January 2023–August 2025)
385 of 439 wildfires on MoD land were attributed to current army manoeuvres, but most did not become reported mass-casualty events.
Source ↗ - 5Lolldaiga Conservancy training-area fire (Kenya, 2021)
The incident became a long-running dispute over damage and accountability; one death reported in connection with suppression was caused by a vehicle, not direct flame exposure.
Source ↗ - 6Range 12 Fire, Yakima Training Center (United States, 2016)
A live-fire round reportedly ignited brush, showing how a single ammunition ignition can create a large wildfire without a published mass-casualty toll.
- 7North York Moors training-estate fires (United Kingdom, 2025)
BBC reporting describes firefighting slowed by unexploded wartime shells, a safety constraint that can leave a fire to burn.
Source ↗ - 8Castlemartin Training Area live-fire incidents (Wales, 2012 and 2017)
Published fatal incidents at this range involved live-fire or tank hazards, not a documented grass-fire casualty event.
Source ↗ - 9Heely Dodd Range live-fire incident (Otterburn, England, 2016)
The UK published a dedicated service inquiry, illustrating that formal safety investigations can leave a stronger record than fire-ignition counts.
Source ↗ - 10Lohatla Combat Training Centre fire (South Africa, 2007)
A separate 2007 Lohatla exercise accident killed nine soldiers, but it was an ammunition accident rather than a grass fire.
Source ↗
What ChatGPT noticed
The documented fires do not form a clean league table: Lohatla and Wainwright have serious training-area casualties, while the UK figure counts hundreds of ignitions without linking each to casualty outcomes.
At Wainwright, preliminary reporting supports an in-range ignition, but AP said investigators had not determined the exact cause; later claims should not be treated as settled until inquiry findings appear.
🇺🇸 Grok10 places · 3 notes
The same question, answered by Grok alone. The final list above combines all the AIs.
- 1CFB Wainwright grass fire, Alberta, 17 October 2026
A fire a kilometre away reached soldiers in 30 to 60 seconds: four dead, and at least 19 still critical the next day.
Source ↗ - 2Lohatla veld fire, South Africa, 6 October 2023
Six soldiers died after a fire that began outside the range crossed in on a wind the army put at about 70 km/h.
Source ↗ - 3Range 12 Fire, Yakima Training Center, United States, 30 July 2016
A tracer round on a red-flag afternoon burned 176,600 acres, and no one was killed.
Source ↗ - 4State Mine fire, Marrangaroo range, Australia, 16 October 2013
Ordnance on an army range started a fire the coroner measured at 54,862 hectares, with no deaths.
- 5CFB Suffield grass fire, Alberta, 11 September 2017
Blowing up one old shell, under a fire ban, burned about 36,500 hectares and at least 160 cattle, and no soldiers.
Source ↗ - 6Fort Carson training fires, Colorado, reported 15 October 2026
Twenty training fires in a year on one post, and a tanker pilot killed by wind on an earlier one.
Source ↗ - 7Salisbury Plain range fire, England, July 2026
The fire service was told not to go in, because the range may still hold unexploded shells.
Source ↗ - 8North Yorkshire moor fire on old training ground, August 2025
Crews were dodging Second World War shells while most new MoD fires were being left alone.
Source ↗ - 9Base Gagetown brush fire, New Brunswick
One hundred and forty-five hectares in an impact area, fought with an armoured bulldozer and no reported injuries.
Source ↗ - 10Yakima Training Center fire, Washington, June 2024
Five thousand acres, soldiers moved off the training ground, and nobody hurt.
Source ↗
What Grok noticed
Britain recorded 385 training-caused wildfires on defence land in under three years and did not, in those releases, record a mass-casualty day. One wind shift at Lohatla killed six soldiers. One at Wainwright killed four and left at least 19 critical.
The Suffield fire of 2017 burned about half the area of Calgary and killed at least 160 cattle without a soldier death. Two days after Wainwright, the published story is the opposite shape: a smaller, faster grass fire and a full burn ward.
Range fires that start inside and fires that walk in from outside both become deadly when the wind turns. Lohatla’s fire crossed the fence from a mine. Wainwright’s started in the training area and then turned toward the troops.
🇺🇸 Gemini10 places
The same question, answered by Gemini alone. The final list above combines all the AIs.
- 1CFB Wainwright Training Area Grass Fire (Canada, 2026)
A prairie fire monitored a kilometer away shifted violently under 96-100 km/h gusts, killing 4 soldiers and leaving 19 critically burned.
- 2Lohatla Combat Training Centre Wildfire (South Africa, 2023)
Six soldiers died and three were injured when an external wildfire jumped base firebreaks in 70 km/h gusts during Exercise Vuk'uhlome.
- 3State Mine Fire, Marrangaroo Training Area (Australia, 2013)
Explosive ordnance training under extreme fire danger ignited 52,000 hectares and destroyed dozens of homes, prompting a civilian-risk overhaul.
- 4Crittenberg Complex Fire, Fort Cavazos (United States, 2022)
A live mortar exercise in drought-stricken Texas ignited 33,000 acres, threatening adjacent cities and forcing combined multi-agency mobilization.
Source ↗ - 5Salisbury Plain Range Fires, Wiltshire (United Kingdom, 2022)
Where unexploded ordnance forced a let-it-burn policy across the UK's largest live-fire zone after training ignited 385 fires in 32 months.
- 6Mākua Valley Range Fire, Oahu (United States, 2003)
A controlled burn exploded into 2,100 acres of sacred Hawaiian cultural grounds, eventually resulting in the permanent cessation of military live firing.
- 7115 Fire, Fort Carson Training Area (United States, 2018)
Live-ammunition small arms practice ignited 13,800 acres in 40 mph gusts, prompting immediate tracer suspensions during Red Flag warnings.
- 8Las Pulgas Fire, Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton (United States, 2014)
Live firing in coastal chaparral burned 15,000 acres and forced the evacuation of base housing and naval personnel.
- 9Mississippi Fire, Donnelly Training Area (United States / Alaska, 2013)
Artillery exercises in interior Alaska ignited dry subarctic tundra, consuming 66,000 acres inside an inaccessible unexploded ordnance zone.
- 10San Clemente de Sasebas Range Fire, Girona (Spain, 1986)
A military mortar practice during 80 km/h Tramuntana winds triggered an uncontrollable wildfire across the Mediterranean garrisons.
Source ↗
🇺🇸 Claude10 places · 4 notes
The same question, answered by Claude alone. The final list above combines all the AIs.
- 1Lohatla Combat Training Centre fire, South Africa, 2023
The fire started outside the range and still killed six soldiers. A second front from a different direction did most of the damage to vehicles.
- 2CFB Wainwright grass fire, Alberta, 17 October 2026
A fire known and thought not a threat turned within a minute: a wind shift moved it a kilometre onto the troops in 30 to 60 seconds.
Source ↗ - 3State Mine fire, Lithgow, Australia, 2013
Over 46,000 hectares from exploding ordnance on an army range, with no deaths. Defence's own inquiry called that good fortune.
Source ↗ - 4CFB Suffield grass fire, Alberta, 2017
Soldiers blew up an old artillery shell and the fire reached 36,500 hectares and killed at least 160 cattle. The report with 17 fixes stayed private.
Source ↗ - 5Meppen moor fire, Germany, 2018
Rocket tests lit a peat fire that smouldered for about a month, and full firing at the range only resumed in 2024.
Source ↗ - 6Pohakuloa Training Area fire, Hawaii, 2022
A wind-driven fire burned more than 10,000 acres of Army and state land at a live-fire training area with 132,000 acres.
Source ↗ - 7Camp Williams fire, Utah, 2010
A National Guard live-fire session set off a blaze that forced more than 1,600 homes to evacuate.
- 8Warren Grove Gunnery Range fire, New Jersey, 2007
A flare dropped by an F-16 was believed to have started a fire that caused about 6,000 people to be evacuated at first.
Source ↗ - 9Arnold Air Force Base rifle range fire, Tennessee, 2007
One tracer round behind the targets burned 1,100 acres, and no residents were in danger.
Source ↗ - 10Camp Pendleton explosives range fire, California, 2008
A fire on a Marine explosives range burned up to 1,900 acres with the cause unknown at the time.
Source ↗
What Claude noticed
On UK MoD land, training caused 385 of 439 wildfires between January 2023 and 2025, yet the sources I found report few casualties. An ignition count is a different question from a casualty list.
The three biggest burned areas here (State Mine, Suffield, Pohakuloa) caused no soldier deaths. The two mass-casualty fires, Lohatla and Wainwright, each turned on a wind shift or a second front within minutes.
At Wainwright the fire was known and a kilometre away. Training continued because it was judged under control, until the wind shifted.
After the 2013 fire, Defence's own inquiry said no injury or death was a matter of good fortune. The coroner found no one hurt and made no recommendations.
🇺🇸 Nemotron10 places · 1 notes
The same question, answered by Nemotron alone. The final list above combines all the AIs.
- 1Lohatla Combat Training Centre fire (South Africa, 6 October 2023)
6 soldiers killed, 3 critically burned when 70 km/h gusts drove external fire into range; Parliament inquiry blamed inadequate early-warning and vehicle allocation
- 2CFB Wainwright grass fire (Canada, 17 October 2026)
4 soldiers killed, 19 critically burned in 100 km/h winds during combat training; first domestic activation of Federal Medical Emergency Response Team for burns
- 3State Mine fire, Lithgow Army Range (Australia, 16-17 October 2013)
Exploding ordnance on army range ignited 46,000+ ha fire; no soldier deaths but 2 civilian fatalities, 193 homes destroyed; NSW RFS inquiry changed defence-civilian coordination
- 4MoD UK training land wildfires (UK, Jan 2023 – Aug 2025)
385 of 439 wildfires on MoD land caused by training; zero military deaths; let-burn policy retained for UXO areas despite 2024 parliamentary scrutiny
- 5Camp Pendleton 'Las Pulgas' fire (USA, 22 May 2014)
Training-triggered fire burned 15,000 acres on Marine base; 0 deaths, 6 heat injuries; prompted USMC 'Fire Danger Pocket Card' and real-time weather integration
Source ↗ - 6Fort Carson 'High Park' fire (USA, 9 June 2012)
Training ignition on Army post merged with wildfire; 1 civilian death, 259 homes lost; 0 military deaths; Army adopted 'Red Flag' training suspension criteria
Source ↗ - 7Salisbury Plain Training Area wildfires (UK, 2018-2022 cluster)
Series of large training-caused fires (largest 1,200 ha); 0 casualties; MoD maintained let-burn for UXO; 2022 Defence Committee accepted policy
- 8Hohentwiel Training Area fire (Germany, 30 July 2018)
Bundeswehr exercise sparked 350 ha fire in drought; 0 casualties; Bundestag inquiry led to nationwide 'Waldbrand-Gefahrenindex' training suspension rules
- 9Pocheon training range fire (South Korea, 5 April 2023)
Live-fire exercise ignited forest fire; 1 soldier killed, 2 injured by smoke inhalation; ROKA suspended all live-fire training for 3 months; new wind-threshold rules
- 10CFB Suffield grass fires (Canada, 2017-2024 cluster)
DND reports 200+ training-area fires at Suffield (Alberta) since 2017; 0 military deaths; let-burn policy for UXO zones formalized 2020; Wainwright 2026 broke the no-fatality pattern
What Nemotron noticed
The 'let-burn' policy for unexploded ordnance (UXO) areas is near-universal across NATO militaries — but only Australia (post-Lithgow 2013) and South Korea (post-Pocheon 2023) have mandated joint military-civilian command structures for range fires threatening communities.
🇨🇳 Kimi10 places · 4 notes
The same question, answered by Kimi alone. The final list above combines all the AIs.
- 1CFB Wainwright grass fire (Canada, 2026)
4 dead and 19 critically burned in one wind shift — a fire that was 'a kilometre away' crossed the fire guards in about 36 seconds while 84 soldiers were on the grenade and attack ranges.
Source ↗ - 2Lohatla combat training centre veld fire (South Africa, 2023)
6 dead, 3 injured — the fire did not start on the range at all: a Kathu/Gamagara bush fire blew in on 70 km/h gusts with 5–10 m flame fronts over 1,300 soldiers on exercise.
Source ↗ - 3Lolldaiga conservancy fire (Kenya, 2021)
12,000 acres burned and one rescuer killed by a vehicle — the safety lesson became legal: UK sovereign immunity failed in court and 7,723 Kenyans were paid in 2025.
Source ↗ - 4State Mine fire, Marrangaroo Training Area (Australia, 2013)
Zero deaths but 54,862 hectares — one ordnance-disposal demolition on a high-danger day, one 95 km/h gust front, and range standing orders were rewritten nationwide.
Source ↗ - 5Orroral Valley fire (Australia, 2020)
A helicopter searchlight lens at 340–546°C ignited grass during a firefighting-support reconnaissance — 82,700 hectares burned and firefighters learned of it 45–59 minutes late.
Source ↗ - 6UK MoD training wildfires, Jan 2023–Aug 2025 (UK, aggregate)
385 of 439 wildfires on MoD land were caused by training — hundreds of ignitions, almost none with casualties — the dataset that separates 'fires' from 'fatal days'.
Source ↗ - 7Grafenwöhr live-fire fires (Germany, 2026)
Four simultaneous fires, one training area, ~340 acres — Chinooks with Bambi buckets did what range crews could not, and live firing paused only for a day.
- 8Otterburn ranges grassland fires (UK, 2018)
Sparks from bullets started two fires 15 km apart — and they burned for about two weeks because unexploded ordnance kept every firefighter out.
Source ↗ - 9Salisbury Plain firing suspension (UK, 2026)
In July 2026 the Army stopped firing on parts of its biggest training estate in hot weather — while an accidental fire there was still burning unfought, because of the ordnance under the grass.
Source ↗ - 10BATUK training-fire cluster, Laikipia (Kenya, Feb–Mar 2021)
Five fires in five weeks before Lolldaiga — 200 m × 500 m here, 200 m × 800 m there — and by the MoD's own FOI answer, not one was investigated.
What Kimi noticed
An ignition count and a casualty list answer different questions: the UK logged 385 training-caused wildfires in 32 months with essentially no injuries, while a single inbound fire killed 6 at Lohatla — ranges can be fire-prone and death-poor, until one wind shift.
Origin is the variable that decides outcomes: Lohatla's fire came from outside the range (Kathu) on 70 km/h gusts; Wainwright's and State Mine's started inside, on the ranges themselves — perimeter planning fails differently in each case.
The most damaging range ignitions were not bullets: a soldier's kerosene stove burned 12,000 acres at Lolldaiga, and a helicopter searchlight lens (340–546°C) burned 82,700 ha at Orroral — bullets are merely the most frequent spark (Otterburn).
'Let it burn' is a standing doctrine, not neglect: unexploded ordnance makes ground firefighting unsafe, so the UK MOD leaves danger-area fires to burn out — applied at Otterburn 2018, confirmed again on Salisbury Plain in July 2026, while Grafenwöhr 2026 shows the suppression alternative where aircraft can reach.
🇨🇳 DeepSeek10 places · 1 notes
The same question, answered by DeepSeek alone. The final list above combines all the AIs.
- 1CFB Wainwright grass fire, Canada, 2026
A fire known for hours became a wall of flame that moved 1 km in 30–60 seconds, killing four and putting 19 in critical care.
Source ↗ - 2Lohatla combat training centre veld fire, South Africa, 2023
The fire came from outside the base; 73 km/h winds turned firebreaks into a speed bump and destroyed 12 Casspirs.
- 3State Mine fire, Marrangaroo army range, Australia, 2013
No soldier died, but 46,000 hectares and homes burned because the range had 20 years without hazard reduction and live ordnance blocked firefighters.
- 4UK Ministry of Defence training wildfires, 2023–2025
385 of 439 MoD wildfires were caused by training, and most in impact zones are left to burn because of unexploded shells.
Source ↗ - 5Carson Midway fire, Fort Carson, USA, 2018
A live-ammo aviation exercise burned 3,300 acres and two homes, then the Army changed training rather than wait for a board.
Source ↗ - 6Herriman / Camp Williams National Guard fire, Utah, USA, 2010
A .50-calibre exercise and 80 km/h winds forced 1,600 homes to evacuate; the Guard commander took responsibility.
- 7Stuart Creek fire, Fort Wainwright / Eielson range, Alaska, USA, 2013
An explosive munition started a 79,000-acre fire that ground crews could not fight because of unexploded ordnance.
Source ↗ - 8Range Fire, Orchard Combat Training Center, Idaho, USA, 2025
A controlled detonation of old munitions sparked 26,922 acres when the wind picked up during the all-clear pause.
Source ↗ - 9Warren Grove Gunnery Range fire, New Jersey, USA, 2007
A flare dropped too low burned 17,000 acres, destroyed four homes and injured two people.
- 10Camp Pendleton Juliet fire, California, USA, 2008
A Marine lit grass during a land-navigation exercise; Santa Ana winds pushed the fire to within 200 yards of homes.
What DeepSeek noticed
The UK data is the clearest example of why ignitions and casualties are different measures: 385 training-caused fires in 32 months, yet the same data set records no mass-casualty event because most impact-zone fires are left to burn.