Four soldiers dead, dozens injured: Carney confirms Wainwright toll, calls it one of the worst peacetime military tragedies

Prime Minister Mark Carney confirmed Sunday that four Canadian Armed Forces members were killed and dozens more seriously injured after a "violent, fast-moving fire" swept through Canadian Forces Base Wainwright in Alberta on Saturday afternoon, according to The Associated Press and The Canadian Press.

The confirmed toll

Carney said the four members' next of kin had been notified and called the incident "one of the worst tragedies for the forces on Canadian soil in peace time." Speaking to reporters in Ottawa on Sunday, he said the nation was in mourning and asked the military to give the public a detailed account of what is known later in the day in Alberta, with Defence Minister David McGuinty, Emergency Preparedness Minister Eleanor Olszewski and Maj.-Gen. Wade Rutland, commander of the 1st Canadian Division, joined by provincial ministers.

Higher toll reported but not confirmed

CBC News and Global News have reported, citing multiple unnamed military sources, that at least seven people died in the incident. That higher figure has not been officially confirmed: the Department of National Defence said Sunday it was still assessing the full impact and would not release casualty details until families have been informed. The four confirmed fatalities should be treated as the official toll, not necessarily the final one.

The casualties included reservists and soldiers from Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry who had travelled from bases across the country to train at Wainwright, Carney said. The injured are receiving care in Wainwright, Edmonton, Red Deer and Calgary.

What started the fire

National Defence said the fire ignited in the base's training area at about 4 p.m. local time Saturday and "spread rapidly" beyond the area's boundaries, with wind gusts of up to 100 km/h pushing it past the base fence into the surrounding rural district, according to the Municipal District of Wainwright. By 11 p.m. Saturday the fire was being held and no evacuation order was issued.

The cause has not been confirmed. Global News reported, citing multiple military sources, that a preliminary investigation suggests a munition from a live training exercise sparked a fast-moving grass fire that led to an explosion, while a separate report cited military sources saying a gas line or gas well struck during a live-fire exercise caused the explosion. Both accounts come from unnamed sources and remain unverified. The RCMP is involved in the investigation, and National Defence told CBC News there are no indications the incident was the result of terrorist activity.

Condolences arrived Sunday from the NATO Military Committee, which said Wainwright was "where so many Canadian soldiers and allies have trained for the hardest tasks of the profession," and from U.S. Ambassador Pete Hoekstra. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith called the fire "heartbreaking" and said the province had convened its emergency management cabinet committee.