The fire broke out late on Saturday local time at one of Canada's busiest army bases, quickly spreading beyond the training area as fierce winds carried flames into the surrounding rural region. The cause of the blaze is still under investigation, though the Canadian military has told local media there are no indications of terrorist involvement.
Dozens of service members were rushed to hospitals across the province. The local facility in Wainwright, a town of about 7,000 residents, was quickly overwhelmed, and helicopters and planes were used to transfer patients to other medical centres. Acute Care Alberta activated a 'code orange' emergency designation at several hospitals to coordinate care for multiple severely injured patients. The agency warned that emergency medical resources were stretched so thin that extremely few ambulances were available in the Edmonton area, urging people to avoid the University of Alberta Hospital emergency department if possible.
Prime Minister Carney ordered all flags on federal buildings flown at half-mast. "We will be there for their families for as long as they need," he said. "We will care for the injured through every step of their recovery, and we will stand by the women and men of the armed forces as they bear the weight of this loss. They will not carry it alone."
Those affected include reservists and soldiers from Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, one of Canada's most storied regiments, who had come from bases across the country to train at Wainwright. Cathy Keane, a mayoral candidate in Ontario, said her eldest son was among the critically injured. "As a mother, right now I need to be with my son and family," she wrote on Facebook, adding that she was travelling to Alberta.
Wainwright Mayor Bruce Pugh praised the local medical response, noting the town's small hospital was not designed for a mass-casualty incident. At least 10 ambulances were parked around the health centre late on Saturday as paramedics and soldiers worked to treat the wounded.