Four Canadian military personnel died and 39 were hospitalized in a major fire at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright in Alberta on Saturday at approximately 16:00 local time, authorities said.
The deceased are Sgt Morgan Wong, Pte Shaun Farrell, Pte Aidan Goulding and Pte Hayden Lykkemark, according to the BBC. At least 19 of the hospitalized are in critical condition, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said at a press briefing Sunday evening.
Prime Minister Mark Carney addressed the nation from Ottawa on Sunday, saying "the nation is in mourning for those brave members of our armed forces who we have lost" and describing the incident as "one of the worst tragedies for the forces on Canadian soil in peacetime."
How the fire started and spread
Soldiers from the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry were conducting "high-intensity combat training with live munitions" at a grenade range and attack range when a grass fire ignited approximately 1 kilometer away, according to Maj-Gen Wade Rutland, who briefed reporters Sunday.
"Uncommonly strong winds caused the fire to spread rapidly and shift direction towards the range administrative area," Rutland said. The cause of the initial grass fire remains under investigation. Cannon fire had been heard from the base on Saturday before it suddenly stopped, Wainwright Mayor Bruce Pugh told the BBC, though he noted that cannon fire is not uncommon at the facility.
The training involved "a multitude of ordnance," Rutland said, including grenade launchers, grenades, small arms and ammunition. The fire is now contained, and fire and rescue teams are remaining at the scene to contain any potential flare-ups, Pugh told the BBC.
Why this strains Alberta's healthcare system
The scale of injuries overwhelmed local medical capacity. Warren Thirsk, an emergency department doctor at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Edmonton, told the CBC that the number of patients had "completely overwhelmed" healthcare facilities in Wainwright. The Royal Alexandra Hospital initially declared a code orange—a disaster-response protocol for a high-casualty incident—which has since been stood down.
Alberta's provincial health agency deployed 30 units directly to Wainwright, including 22 ground ambulances, six fixed-wing and two rotary wing aircraft. STARS, the regional air ambulance service, deployed aircraft and crews from Edmonton, Saskatoon and Calgary.
"It is anticipated that care for patients impacted by this incident will be intensive and will add to existing high demand on acute care in Alberta," the provincial health agency said in a statement Sunday, adding that patients are being treated at facilities across the province.
What Canadian Forces Base Wainwright is
Located about 210 kilometers east of Edmonton, Canadian Forces Base Wainwright is one of Canada's main bases for live-fire training exercises and one of the country's busiest military training bases. It houses troops from Canada and allied countries, with approximately 690 military personnel and 300 civilian workers on site on a typical day, according to the BBC.
What remains unknown
Officials ruled out certain causes. Maj-Gen Wade Rutland said investigators do not believe the incident resulted from "any oil and gas infrastructure nor any outside interference." The Canadian Armed Forces said in a statement that there are "no indications that it was the result of any terrorist activity."
The exact cause of the grass fire and the final investigation into the incident remain pending. Training operations at the base have not yet been publicly addressed by military officials.