3 minWorld
Carney Says Four Service Members Killed in Fire at Alberta Military Base
A fire during military training at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright killed four service members and seriously injured dozens, prompting a mass-casualty response across Alberta hospitals. Prime Minister Mark Carney called it one of Canada's worst peacetime military tragedies on domestic soil.
Four Canadian service members were killed and dozens more seriously injured when a fire broke out during military training at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright in Alberta, Prime Minister Mark Carney said in a televised address. Carney described the incident as one of the country's worst peacetime military tragedies on domestic soil and said the families of those killed had been notified.
The fire erupted Saturday at the base, where fierce winds drove flames beyond the installation and into surrounding rural areas. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police said officers responded to reports of a fire in a training area shortly after 4 p.m. Firefighters battled gusts reaching up to 62 mph. By late Saturday, local officials said the fire was being held and that property and critical infrastructure were protected. No evacuation order had been issued for nearby residents.
Canadian military officials said there were no indications of terrorism, though the cause remained under investigation. Defense Minister David McGuinty said the RCMP was involved in the investigation and described the situation as «very, very active and delicate.» He told reporters he could not recall a similar incident in recent memory.
The personnel affected included reservists and soldiers from Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, one of Canada's oldest and most storied regiments. Troops had traveled from bases across the country to take part in training exercises at Wainwright. The exact number of injured service members remained unclear, with victims receiving treatment at hospitals in Wainwright, Edmonton, Red Deer and Calgary.
Several hospitals across Alberta activated a «Code Orange,» an emergency designation for mass-casualty incidents, as medical staff scrambled to treat the wounded. Dr. Warren Thirsk, an emergency department physician at Royal Alexandra Hospital in Edmonton, told CBC News that the volume of patients would overwhelm the city. «It is more patients than any of us want to count right now. It's a disaster,» he said.
Cathy Keane, a mayoral candidate in Ontario, said on Facebook that her eldest son was among the military personnel critically injured. «As a mother, right now I need to be with my son and family,» she wrote, saying she was traveling to Alberta.
Carney said flags would fly at half-staff on federal buildings nationwide in honor of those killed and injured, and he praised emergency crews who battled the flames through the night. He said the situation was still evolving as authorities continued to assess the aftermath.
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