4 Service Members Killed, Dozens Injured

USPA NEWS - SOURCE: Associated Press, and Government of Canada:
Wainwright, Alberta: USPA 24 News. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Sunday that four service members were killed and dozens more seriously injured in a fire at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright in Alberta, describing it as one of the worst peacetime tragedies for Canada’s military on domestic soil.

Fire crews scrambled late Saturday as fierce winds whipped flames beyond Canadian Forces Base Wainwright and into the surrounding rural area. The Canadian military said Sunday there were no indications that the incident was the result of terrorism, but the cause remained under investigation.

Speaking in a televised address, Carney said the families of those killed had been notified and that the situation was still evolving. Carney said the service members killed and those injured were participating in military training when the fire broke out Saturday, and that flags would fly at half-mast on federal buildings across the country in honor of those affected by the tragedy.

Carney said those affected included reservists and soldiers from Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, one of Canada’s most storied military regiments. The personnel had come from bases across the country to train at Wainwright.

It was not immediately clear exactly how many people had been injured. Carney said the wounded were being treated in Wainwright, Edmonton, Red Deer and Calgary.

A doctor at a hospital in the city of Edmonton, 180 kilometers (112 miles) northwest, told Canada’s national broadcaster that patients were taken to hospitals across the city as healthcare facilities around the base became “completely overwhelmed” by the number of people needing care.

Dr. Warren Thirsk, an emergency department physician at the Royal Alexandra Hospital said, “This number of patients would overwhelm the city of Edmonton. It is more patients than any of us want to count right now. It’s a disaster. It’s a one in every 15 to 25 year disaster.”

Acute Care Alberta said several hospitals across the province had activated a “Code Orange,” an emergency designation used when multiple severely injured patients require coordinated medical care. The agency said emergency medical resources were stretched so thin that extremely few ambulances were available in the Edmonton area. It urged people to avoid the University of Alberta Hospital emergency department if possible.

Wainwright Mayor Bruce Pugh said the town’s small hospital was not designed to handle a mass-casualty incident but praised the response of local medical personnel. He said helicopters and planes had been transporting patients to other facilities for treatment.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith described the fire as “significant and tragic” and said it was affecting many military personnel. Carney praised emergency crews who battled the fire through the night and said STARS air ambulance helicopters had flown in from Edmonton and Saskatoon. CFB Wainwright is one of Canada’s busiest military training bases, where soldiers prepare for combat operations. It is home to the Canadian Maneuver Training Center, which conducts realistic battlefield exercises, and the 3rd Canadian Division Training Centre, which provides military training. Canadian Conservative opposition leader Pierre Poilievre said he had spoken with Carney and the defense minister to offer support to those affected by the fire.

This is a developing story and USPA 24 News will provide follow up reports as more verifiable information becomes available.