4 dead and 39 injured in a fire at a military base in Canada

Ottawa - Ofoq News - Four Canadian soldiers were killed and 39 people were injured, including 19 in critical condition, as a result of a fire that broke out in a training area inside the Wainwright military base in the Alberta province of western Canada, after the grass caught fire and spread quickly due to strong winds.

Canadian officials said that the wind speed reached 96 kilometers per hour, which contributed to fueling the fire that broke out around 4 p.m. on Saturday, and within a short time turned into a large fire.

Major General Wade Rutland explained that the flames traveled a distance of one kilometer within a period ranging between 30 and 60 seconds, describing what happened as a rapid and unusual development.

Authorities have identified the four soldiers who died as Sergeant Morgan Wong, and Privates Sean Farrell, Aidan Golding and Hayden Lakemark.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney described the incident as one of the worst tragedies witnessed by the Canadian Armed Forces inside the country in peacetime, and announced that flags on federal buildings would be flown at half-mast to mourn the victims.

The officials added that 85 soldiers were participating in intensive combat training using live ammunition when the fire broke out, and were preparing to deploy to Latvia as part of Canada's largest international military operations.

Rutland confirmed that the investigation into the causes of the fire is still ongoing, ruling out a link to the oil and gas infrastructure in the region or external interference.

For her part, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said that a number of those infected will need weeks or months of specialized and intensive medical care.

Emergency teams responded to the accident using 22 ground ambulances and eight air ambulances, while the injured were transported for treatment to hospitals in Edmonton, Wainwright, Calgary and Red Deer.

The fire spread to a neighboring area outside the military base fence, without orders to evacuate residents.

Local authorities announced on Sunday that the fire is not expected to exceed its current limits, while military and civilian firefighting teams continue their efforts to control it.