Fire kills four soldiers at Wainwright base

Four members of the Canadian military died and dozens were injured in a major fire at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright in Alberta on Saturday at about four pm local time.

Prime Minister calls it worst peacetime tragedy

Prime Minister Mark Carney addressed the nation from Ottawa on Sunday, describing the fire as one of the worst tragedies for the forces on Canadian soil in peacetime.

“one of the worst tragedies for the forces on Canadian soil in peacetime”

The four soldiers who died

The BBC confirmed that Sergeant Morgan Wong, Private Shaun Farrell, Private Aidan Goulding and Private Hayden Lykkemark died in the fire at the base.

Thirty-nine injured, nineteen critical

Of the thirty-nine injured people being cared for in hospital, at least nineteen are in a critical condition, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said at a press briefing on Sunday evening.

Grass fire spread during combat training

Soldiers were conducting high-intensity combat training with live munitions at a grenade range when a grass fire ignited about one kilometre away.Uncommonly strong winds caused the fire to spread rapidly toward the range administrative area.

“Uncommonly strong winds caused the fire to spread rapidly and shift direction towards the range administrative area”

No indication of terrorist activity

The Canadian Armed Forces said there are no indications the incident was the result of terrorist activity, oil and gas infrastructure problems, or outside interference. The cause remains under investigation.

Healthcare system overwhelmed by casualties

The number of patients completely overwhelmed healthcare facilities in Wainwright.The Royal Alexandra Hospital in Edmonton declared a code orange disaster protocol.