Fire at an Alberta military base kills four soldiers
Another 39 people remain hospitalized, 19 in critical condition. Commanders are investigating how the blaze covered a kilometre in under a minute.
A fire at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright in Alberta killed four soldiers and left 39 other people hospitalized, 19 of them in critical condition, Global News and ABC News, with material from AP reported. The blaze began during training exercises at around 16:00 on Saturday, Oct. 17, Alberta time.
Alberta is Canada's western oil province, and Wainwright, a town of about 7 000 people, hosts one of the army's busiest training bases. According to Global News, about 350 soldiers from the 3rd Battalion of Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry were running live-fire combat exercises.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said some of the injured have severe burns and may need weeks or months of intensive care. Patients were spread across hospitals in Edmonton, Calgary and Red Deer. The army said there is no sign of terrorism.
The cause has not been determined. Maj.-Gen. Wade Rutland, commander of the 1st Canadian Division, announced an investigation into the terrain, vegetation and wind, with gusts of up to 100 km/h (62 mph), Global News said. On the speed of the fire, he said:
"It is not normal for a fire to move a kilometre in 30-to-60 seconds."
According to Global News, a nearby grass fire was known but not seen as a threat, and a sudden gust is thought to have carried it to the troops. Rutland ruled out, for now, that a gas line or well had been damaged, though that will be checked.
Prime Minister Mark Carney called it one of the worst tragedies for the armed forces on Canadian soil in peacetime and ordered flags at federal buildings lowered to half-staff. He promised support for the families "for as long as they need," ABC and AP reported.
Global News notes that it remains unclear why the exercises went ahead despite a strong-wind alert.
