OTTAWA – Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney confirmed Sunday that four people were killed and dozens of others were injured in a major fire that broke out Saturday at a military base in the western province of Alberta.
Updating the situation in Ottawa, Carney said the next of kin of the four deceased service members have been notified.
"Yesterday afternoon, a violent, fast-moving fire swept through the Canadian Armed Forces base in Wainwright," Carney said. "What followed was one of the worst tragedies for the forces on Canadian soil in peacetime."
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Carney said he had directed senior officials to provide a briefing this afternoon to reveal more details.
The Canadian Armed Forces (CFB) said earlier Sunday that there was no indication the incident was related to terrorist activity, while the full extent of the impact remained under assessment.
Local media had previously reported at least seven deaths and dozens of injuries.
Official: Fatal fire linked to live-fire exercise
Major-General Wade Rutland told reporters that the blaze was caused by a live-fire exercise soldiers were conducting on Saturday afternoon. The exercise had included hand grenade training at a range, as part of a tactical drill known as a "section attack."
Strong winds caused the grass fire to spread rapidly, with the flames advancing 1 km in roughly 30 to 60 seconds, according to Rutland.
Currently, 39 injured personnel are receiving hospital treatment, at least 19 of whom are in critical condition.
The general said a specialized military team had inspected local energy infrastructure, and preliminary findings showed no damage, although further inspections will be conducted.
The troops involved were preparing for potential rapid deployment to global hotspots within hours and were also conducting pre-deployment training for a rotation to Latvia, the military official added.
Located about 200 km east of Edmonton, CFB Wainwright is one of Canada's busiest Army bases. It is home to the Canadian Manoeuvre Training Centre and the 3rd Canadian Division Training Centre, according to the Canadian government's website.
