Canada ‘in mourning’ as four killed and dozens hospitalised after fire at military base
Emergency crews and military personnel at the Wainwright Health Centre. Picture: John Ulan/The Canadian Press via AP
Four people have been killed and dozens more seriously injured after a “violent, fast-moving” fire tore through one of Canada’s busiest military training bases in Alberta, the country’s prime minister said on Sunday.
Mark Carney called the incident “one of the worst tragedies for the forces on Canadian soil in peacetime”.
Winds up to 96km/h fed the blaze, which broke out at 4pm on Saturday during high-intensity combat training at the base. Alberta premier Danielle Smith said at a press conference on Sunday evening that 39 people were in hospital after the fire, with at least 19 of them in a critical condition.
Maj Gen Wade Rutland, commander of the 1st Canadian Division, said that a grass fire ignited in a training area of the military base, which spread quickly. The cause of the fire was being investigated, he said.
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The military identified those killed as Sgt Morgan Wong of the Loyal Edmonton Regiment and Privates Shaun Farrell, Aidan Goulding and Hayden Lykkemark of the 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light infantry.
All four were serving with the battalion, based in Edmonton.
Rutland said military officials knew about the fire for hours but believed it was contained before winds suddenly shifted, sending flames racing toward the soldiers.
“The fire was a kilometre away when the wind shifted. That is not normal for a fire to move a kilometre in 36 seconds,” he said at a news conference in Edmonton.
“I’ve certainly never seen anything like it,” he added.
The fire broke out during high-intensity combat training involving Charlie Company of the 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light infantry, sweeping into the area where the simulated attacks were taking place.
About 84 soldiers were in the company, which was split between a grenade range and an area where soldiers practised attacks on simulated enemy positions.
“The nation is in mourning for those brave members of our armed forces whom we have lost. And I have asked the flags on all federal buildings to be flown at half-mast to honour them,” Carney told the nation in an address from Ottawa.
“We are praying for the wounded.”
Carney said he had requested a “detailed account” from military officials on the ground about what had happened.
The country’s defence minister, David McGuinty, described the event as a “terrible incident” as he travelled to the scene to meet senior officials and first responders.
“I cannot recall an incident like this in recent memory,” he said, adding that the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) were involved in the investigation.
McGuinty did not provide details about what caused the incident and the Canadian armed forces said on Sunday that its “immediate priority” was notifying next of kin and helping those affected by the fire.
The armed forces and federal, provincial and local authorities were coordinating the emergency response, they said.
Canada’s top soldier, Gen Jennie Carignan, who serves as chief of the defence staff, called the incident “a profoundly difficult moment for the entire Canadian armed forces”.
The nearby community of Wainwright provided hospital and firefighting support.
Flares were spotted in the sky and military medical paratroopers dropped in on a local school football field.
Health staff in Edmonton said a “code orange,” or mass-casualty event, was declared to coordinate the medical response for patients being transported from Wainwright.
A doctor at a hospital in the city of Edmonton, 180km (112 miles) north-west of Wainwright, told Canada’s national broadcaster that Wainwright’s healthcare facilities had been inundated.
“This number of patients would overwhelm the city of Edmonton,” Dr Warren Thirsk, an emergency department physician at the Royal Alexandra hospital, told CBC News.
“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.” Officials asked people in Edmonton to avoid the emergency department at the University of Alberta hospital in order to prioritise victims from the military base.
Air ambulances were dispatched from Saskatoon and Edmonton.
The fire at the military base swept into the area where the simulated attacks were taking place, crossing established firebreaks before being contained with help from municipal firefighters.
The Canadian military said there were no indications of terrorism.
On Sunday, the Alberta premier described the fire as “heartbreaking” and said it had affected many military personnel.
“On behalf of the government of Alberta, I extend my deepest condolences to the families who have lost loved ones and wish those who have been injured a full recovery.
“Our thoughts are also with the military personnel, families and colleagues facing uncertainty and grief during this incredibly difficult time,” Smith said.
The premier said many of the injured would require “weeks and months” of specialised, intensive medical care.
She is due to travel to meet senior officials in Edmonton.
The Saskatchewan premier, Scott Moe, said his province was sending assistance to Alberta but did not specify what resources were being deployed.
CFB Wainwright is one of Canada’s busiest military training bases, where soldiers prepare for combat operations.
It is home to the Canadian Manoeuvre Training Centre, which conducts realistic battlefield exercises, and the 3rd Canadian Division Training Centre, which provides military training.
“On behalf of the Nato military committee, we extend our deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives in the tragedy at CFB Wainwright, and our wishes for a full recovery to all the injured,” Adm Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, the chair of the Nato military committee, posted on social media.
“Those who fell there served our common security, and the military committee will honour their memory.”
Canada’s Conservative leader, Pierre Poilievre, said he had spoken with Carney and the defence minister to offer support to those affected by the fire.
“Pray for Wainwright, everyone,” Poilievre said in a social media post.
He urged people in the area to follow emergency instructions and keep roads clear for first responders.
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