Four killed in fire at Canadian military base

The Canadian government said on Sunday that a weekend fire at an Alberta military base killed at least four people and seriously injured dozens in what Prime Minister Mark Carney called one of the worst peacetime tragedies ever for Canada's armed forces on home soil.

"The nation is in mourning for those brave members of our Armed Forces whom we have lost," Carney said Sunday, adding that he had ordered flags on federal buildings across the country to be lowered to half-staff to honor the victims.

CBC, the government-funded national broadcaster, previously reported seven ?deaths at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright, citing unnamed sources.

Canadian authorities have said the situation continues to evolve, and that they will not confirm casualty figures until next of kin have been notified.

CFB Wainwright had 1,310 military and civilian personnel stationed there as of 2021, according to census data. The base, one of Canada's largest, is ?about 210 km (130 miles) east of Edmonton in Alberta. National Defence Minister David McGuinty said on Sunday he would go to the city for briefings on the situation.

The base houses the Canadian Manoeuvre Training Centre, which runs training scenarios and exercises for the army.

Carney said those affected in Saturday's fire came from military bases across the country. Few details have been released about the cause of the fire, which took place at about 4 p.m. (2200 GMT) on Saturday in a training area at the base as winds gusted up to 60 miles per hour (96 kilometers per hour).

Military and civilian firefighters fought the fire through the night in "some of the worst conditions imaginable," Carney said.