Canadian officials said Sunday that four service members were killed and dozens more injured after a fast-moving fire swept through soldiers conducting live-fire training at a military base in Alberta. The deadly fire erupted Saturday at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright, where a sudden shift in powerful winds sent flames sweeping toward troops training in the area, according to The . Officials said 39 people were hospitalized, including 19 in critical condition.
Eight others were listed as stable, while 12 were being treated for less serious injuries. Wade Rutland, commander of the Edmonton-based 1st Canadian Division, said military officials had been aware of the fire for hours but believed it was contained enough for training to continue, AP reported. AT LEAST 1 KILLED, 34 FIREFIGHTERS AND EMS WORKERS INJURED IN 'MAJOR' STATEN ISLAND SHIPYARD EXPLOSION: FDNY "The fire was a kilometer away when the wind shifted.
That is not normal for a fire to move a kilometer in 36 seconds," Rutland said. Investigators have not yet determined what sparked the fire. Those killed were identified by the military as Sgt.
Morgan Wong and Privates Shaun Farrell, Aidan Goulding and Hayden Lykkemark, AP reported. Wong was a member of the Loyal Edmonton Regiment, while the three others belonged to the 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry. All four were serving with the Edmonton-based battalion.
Prime Minister Mark Carney called the blaze one of the worst peacetime tragedies to strike Canada's armed forces on home soil, according to . VIRGINIA COPS CRAWL THROUGH BURNING HOUSE TO SAVE MAN TRAPPED IN FIRE "I cannot recall such an incident in my short time for sure as a minister, but I cannot recall an incident like this in recent memory," Canadian Defense Minister David McGuinty told reporters. The 39 injured people were being treated at hospitals in Wainwright, Edmonton, Red Deer and Calgary.
Air ambulances from Edmonton and Saskatoon were also sent to the base Saturday to help transport patients. Several hospitals across Alberta activated a "Code Orange," an emergency designation used for mass-casualty incidents, as medical personnel prepared to treat the wounded. Military and civilian firefighters battled the flames through the night as intense winds fueled the fire.
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