Prime Minister Mark Carney said a fire at CFB Wainwright in Alberta has killed four soldiers and seriously injured dozens. The military says there is no sign of a link to terrorism and the cause is under investigation.
Liberty Times, citing CNA and reports from AP, AFP and Reuters, said on the 19th that a major fire broke out at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright in the western province of Alberta. Strong winds helped it spread overnight from the base into surrounding rural areas, and fire crews were rushed in.
광고 문의 · 300×250In a televised address, Prime Minister Mark Carney confirmed that four soldiers had died and dozens were seriously injured. He called it one of the worst tragedies the Canadian military has suffered on home soil in peacetime, said the families of the dead had been notified, and announced that flags on federal buildings nationwide would be lowered to half-mast.
The military said there was no indication the incident was linked to terrorism. The cause of the fire has not been determined, and no official account has been confirmed of how it started or spread.
Casualties and the medical response
Reports on the death toll differ. CBC, citing unnamed sources, reported seven deaths, but officials said they would not confirm a toll until families had been informed and that the situation was still changing. This report therefore uses the four deaths the prime minister confirmed.
The victims reportedly include reservists and members of Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, one of the country's most storied units. Soldiers from across Canada had gathered at Wainwright for training. The injured were taken to hospitals in Wainwright, Edmonton, Red Deer and Calgary; the exact number of wounded is not yet known.
Edmonton doctors told CBC that the influx of patients left facilities overwhelmed. Warren Thirsk, an emergency physician at the Royal Alexandra Hospital, described it as a disaster of a kind seen once every 15 to 25 years. Acute Care Alberta said several hospitals activated a Code Orange for mass critical casualties, ambulances in the Edmonton area were nearly all committed, and the public was urged to avoid the University of Alberta Hospital emergency room unless necessary.
The investigation and the base
Defence Minister David McGuinty said the Royal Canadian Mounted Police are investigating, that the situation is fluid and sensitive, and that more updates will follow. He said he could not recall a comparable incident in recent years and planned to visit the site.
Wainwright is one of Canada's main military training bases, used for combat-readiness training, and hosts the Canadian Manoeuvre Training Centre and the 3rd Canadian Division Training Centre. The nearby town has a population of about 7,000. The final casualty figures and the cause of the fire will have to await the investigation.
