Symbolic imageFour confirmed dead, 39 hospitalised after fire at Canadian base Wainwright
A wind-driven fire on Saturday at CFB Wainwright in Alberta killed at least four people, while CBC reports seven. Prime Minister Mark Carney called it one of the worst peacetime tragedies for Canada's forces on home soil.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said on Sunday that 39 people were hospitalised, 19 of them in critical condition. The fire broke out around 4 p.m. on Saturday, 17 October, in a training area as winds gusted up to 96 km/h. CBC, citing unnamed sources, reported seven dead, but authorities say they will not confirm figures until next of kin are notified. Carney ordered flags on federal buildings to half-staff and said the victims came from bases across the country. Patients are being treated in Edmonton, Wainwright, Calgary and Red Deer, and a doctor told CBC that Wainwright's medical facilities were overwhelmed.
Cause under investigation
Commander Wade Rutland said a grassland fire spread rapidly and reached a range where an infantry group was training with live ammunition for a deployment to Latvia next year. Oil or gas infrastructure is currently not believed to have played a role, although Global News had reported, citing military sources, that a round hit a gas line or well. The military and the RCMP are investigating.
Spread beyond the base, vote disrupted
The fire crossed the base fence into the neighbouring district, but no evacuation orders were issued, and the municipality said on Sunday it was not expected to spread further. Early voting in Wainwright ahead of Monday's vote on a possible Alberta independence referendum was interrupted, and the local polling station was closed.