Canadian military base fire kills at least four, injures dozens

Canadian military base fire kills at least four, injures dozens

The full report

A fire broke out at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright, one of Canada's busiest military training bases, at about 4 p.m. local time (2200 GMT) Saturday. The fire was caused by a grass fire that ignited in the training area during a training exercise conducted by the Third Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, according to Maj. Gen. Wade Rutland, commander of the 1st Canadian Division. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

The fire spread rapidly due to high winds, and it is reported that the fire crews scrambled late Saturday as fierce winds whipped flames beyond Canadian Forces Base Wainwright and into the surrounding rural area.

At least four service members have lost their lives, and dozens of others have been seriously injured. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney called the incident one of the worst tragedies the army has suffered in peace time.

The injured have been taken to hospitals across the city of Edmonton, which is located some 180 kilometers (120 miles) northwest of the base. Dr. Warren Thirsk, an emergency department physician at the Royal Alexandra Hospital, said health-care facilities around the base itself had been "completely overwhelmed" by the number of people requiring medical aid.

The Canadian military said Sunday there were no indications that the incident was the result of terrorism, but the cause remained under investigation.

Flags will fly at half-staff on federal buildings across the country in honor of those affected by the tragedy, according to Prime Minister Mark Carney. The personnel who were killed and injured were participating in military training when the fire broke out Saturday.

The families of those killed have been notified, and the situation is still evolving, according to Prime Minister Mark Carney.

The service members killed and injured were from Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, one of Canada’s most storied military regiments. The personnel had come from bases across the country to train at Wainwright.

It was not immediately clear exactly how many people had been injured, but Alberta health officials said patients from Wainwright had been transferred to four hospitals — two in Edmonton, one in Red Deer and one in Calgary.

Cathy Keane, a mayoral candidate in Ontario, said her eldest son was among the military personnel critically injured. She is traveling to Alberta to be with her son and family.

A doctor at a hospital in the city of Edmonton told Canada’s national broadcaster that patients were taken to hospitals across the city as healthcare facilities around the base became “completely overwhelmed” by the number of people needing care.

The doctor, Dr. Warren Thirsk, an emergency department physician at the Royal Alexandra Hospital, said, “This number of patients would overwhelm the city of Edmonton. It is more patients than any of us want to count right now. It’s a disaster. It’s a one in every 15- to 25-year disaster.”