Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Sunday that four service members had died and dozens of others were seriously injured in a fire during military training at a base in Alberta, describing the incident as one of Canada’s most serious peacetime military disasters on home soil.
The blaze broke out Saturday at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright as strong winds drove the flames beyond the military installation and into nearby rural areas. Canadian officials said there was no evidence of terrorism, while the cause remained under investigation.
In a televised address, Carney said the families of all four deceased service members had been informed and warned that the situation continued to develop.
Paramedics load an injured person into an ambulance at the Wainwright Health Centre as injured military members are treated after a fire at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright, outside of Wainwright, Alberta Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026. (John Ulan/The Canadian Press via AP)
Those affected included reservists and members of Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, one of the country’s longest-serving military regiments, Carney said. Troops had arrived from bases across Canada for training exercises at Wainwright.
Canada Prime Minister Mark Carney delivers a statement on Parliament Hill following a deadly fire at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright in Alberta, in Ottawa on Sunday, Oct. 18, 2026. (Patrick Doyle/The Canadian Press via AP)
Defense Minister David McGuinty confirmed the deaths and injuries earlier but initially declined to disclose the number of casualties, News Media previously reported.
“I cannot recall such an incident in my short time for sure as a minister, but I cannot recall an incident like this in recent memory,” McGuinty told reporters.
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Officials had not released a precise tally of those injured by Sunday. Patients were being treated at hospitals in Wainwright, Edmonton, Red Deer and Calgary.
Hospitals across Alberta activated “Code Orange,” the emergency protocol used for mass-casualty events, as medical teams worked to care for the large number of wounded service members.
Paramedics work at the Wainwright Health Centre as injured military members are treated after a fire at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright, outside of Wainwright, Alberta Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026. (John Ulan/The Canadian Press via AP)
“This number of patients would overwhelm the city of Edmonton,” Dr. Warren Thirsk, an emergency department physician at Royal Alexandra Hospital, told CBC News. “It is more patients than any of us want to count right now. It’s a disaster.”
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police said officers were called shortly after 4 p.m. Saturday after reports of a fire in a training zone at the base. Fire crews faced punishing conditions, including wind gusts of up to 62 mph, as the flames moved outside the installation.
By Saturday night, local authorities said firefighters had contained the blaze and secured property and key infrastructure. Officials did not issue an evacuation order for surrounding communities.
McGuinty said the RCMP was assisting with the investigation, calling the response and inquiry “very, very active and delicate.”
Carney ordered flags on federal buildings across the country to be lowered to half-staff in remembrance of those killed and injured. He also commended emergency responders who fought the fire throughout the night.