On 20 June 1988, the Canadian Forces School of Military Engineering at Canadian Forces Base Chilliwack, British Columbia, suffered the deadliest training accident in its history when a demolition charge detonated prematurely during a training session. The session involved 29 students and seven instructors. Six military engineering students were killed, and several others were injured. Killed were: Capt J.W. Best, Lt M.D. Aucoin, 2Lt K.J. Wilkinson, OCdt K.R. Gawne, OCdt W.C. Sutton, and OCdt W.J. Whitley.
The Students were practising explosive cratering in the demolition phase of their Military Engineer Officer training. During the tamping process - where a long rod is used to compact explosives into the underground chamber - approximately 27 kg of explosive material detonated without warning. The explosion produced a powerful shock wave and a debris field that killed six students instantly and seriously injured three others.
A Coroner’s Inquest and a Board of Inquiry concluded that the most probable cause was the development of a hotspot inside the camouflet tube, triggered by friction and heat generated when the tamping rod was used with excessive force. This hotspot likely ignited a blockage in the tube, causing a small initial detonation that sympathetically triggered the main charge. The jury ruled the deaths accidental but issued multiple safety recommendations that reshaped Canadian Forces demolition training.
The accident victims are memorialized on a plaque at the Canadian Forces School of Military Engineering in Gagetown - honouring the six fallen trainees and reminding instructors of their moral and legal duty to safeguard future generations of students.
