Canada’s Carney says 4 service members killed in fire at Alberta military base

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney says four service members were killed and dozens more seriously injured in a fire at a military base in Alberta, describing it as one of the worst peacetime tragedies for Canada’s military on domestic soil.

Fire crews scrambled last night as fierce winds whipped flames beyond Canadian Forces Base Wainwright and into the surrounding rural area. The Canadian military says there are no indications that the incident was the result of terrorism, but the cause remains under investigation.

Speaking in a televised address, Carney says the families of those killed had been notified and that the situation is still evolving.

Carney says the service members killed and injured were participating in military training when the fire broke out.

Flags would fly at half-staff on federal buildings across the country in honor of those affected by the tragedy, he says.

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

It is not immediately clear exactly how many people are injured. Carney says the wounded are being treated in Wainwright, Edmonton, Red Deer, and Calgary.

A doctor at a hospital in the city of Edmonton, 180 kilometers (112 miles) northwest, tells 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.