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Emergency crews and military personnel at the Wainwright Health Centre as injured military members are treated after a fire on Saturday.John Ulan/The Canadian Press
What happened at CFB Wainwright?
At around 4 p.m. local time on Saturday, a fire was reported at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright in eastern Alberta, which is located about 200 kilometres southeast of Edmonton.
The Department of National Defence said the incident began after a fire ignited at about 4 p.m. local time Saturday in the training area of the military base, At a news conference on Sunday, Prime Minister Mark Carney delivered an update with more details
He called the incident “one of the worst tragedies that our armed forces have experienced on Canadian soil in peacetime.”
Satellite imagery from NASA’s wildfire surveillance system captured at least seven clusters of fire at the camp earlier Saturday night. A post on the Municipal District of Wainwright Facebook page said the wildfire had been held, but a watch would remain in place in case conditions changed.
Four military members killed, dozens injured in fire at CFB Wainwright, Prime Minister says
Casualties of CFB Wainwright fire
The fire killed at least four Canadian Forces members and seriously injured dozens more people, the Prime Minister confirmed on Sunday afternoon.
“The nation is in mourning for those brave members of our Armed Forces whom we have lost. And I have asked the flags on all federal buildings to be flown at half-mast to honour them,” Mr. Carney said in an address from Parliament Hill in Ottawa.
“We are praying for the wounded.”
Medical response
Acute Care Alberta, the agency that co-ordinates medical services at acute health centres in the province, said a Code Orange had been declared at several ERs “to co-ordinate a response to an incident that results in multiple severe patients needing care at the same time.”
The agency urged people in Edmonton to avoid going to the emergency department at the University of Alberta hospital so that patients coming from the military base could be prioritized.
STARS Air Ambulance spokesperson Natalie Hofstetter said aircraft had been dispatched from Edmonton and Saskatoon.
Around midnight, two bright red flares dropped from the sky before seven Canadian Forces members parachuted onto the football field of the local high school across the street from the Wainwright hospital. They were soon met by a helicopter that touched down to unload medical equipment, including what appeared to be a ventilator that the troops wheeled into the hospital.
Nearby, paramedics loaded two patients on stretchers into waiting ambulances, which then sped off.
By Sunday morning, the scene at the Wainwright Health Centre was quiet. The ambulances that had continued moving patients late into the night were gone.
Access to CFB Wainwright was blocked. At front gate of the base, civilian vehicles filed through a security checkpoint at sunrise.
Condolences pour in from across the country
June Winger, president of the Union of National Defence Employees, which represents more than 20,000 civilian military members, said her organization will continue to update and support its members.
“Our thoughts are with everyone affected by the devastating fire at CFB Wainwright, especially the families, military personnel, civilian workers and community members impacted by this tragic incident,” she said. “I want to express my sincere gratitude to the firefighters, first responders and emergency personnel working tirelessly to protect lives and keep people safe.”
In a social media post, Premier Danielle Smith said Alberta is mourning alongside Canadian Armed forces members and their loved ones.
Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe said the province deployed resources to help Alberta first responders manage the incident.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford encouraged all Canadians to come together and support those impacted by the incident at CFB Wainwright.
With reports from Jana G. Pruden, Matthew Scace, Jesse Winter and Steven Chase.