At least four Canadian service members were killed and dozens more were seriously wounded when a "violent, fast-moving fire" ripped through one of the country’s busiest military bases Oct. 17, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said.
Carney described the fire at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright in Alberta as one of "the worst tragedies" to befall Canadian forces in peacetime.
"The nation is in mourning," Carney said. "We stand in solidarity and compassion for the families, the friends and the colleagues of all those affected by this tragedy."
He did not say what caused the fire at the base, located in the east-central part of the province, about 130 miles east of Edmonton. Authorities have not released information about the victims, or said how
many people are in critical condition.
The fire erupted at about 4 p.m. local time Saturday, Oct. 17 in a training area of the base and spread rapidly, the Canadian Armed Forces said in a news release.
As of 2021, about 1,300 military and civilian personnel were stationed at the base, according to census data. The town of Wainwright, north of the base, has a population of about 6,600.
Late in the evening Oct. 17, Wainwright officials posted on social media that the fire had crossed the base fence into the nearby district. They did not issue evacuation orders.
Carney said he ordered national defense and emergency preparedness officials to deliver a detailed report sometime Oct. 18 on what happened. He ordered Canadian flags at half-mast.
Canadians, he said, "come together in crisis."
Contributing: Reuters
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: At least 4 dead after 'violent' fire at Canadian military base
