Fire kills four Canadian military members, injures dozens

Four Canadian military members died and dozens were injured in a fire on Saturday. Accounts of the incident indicate that the flames spread very rapidly.

The fire began at about 4 p.m. on Saturday at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright. It is one of Canada's busiest military training bases.

Of the 39 injured people receiving hospital care, at least 19 are in critical condition.

The fire broke out in a grassy training area at a base in Alberta and spread rapidly because of strong winds.

Maj-Gen Wade Rutland, commander of the Canadian Armed Forces' 1st Canadian Division, said the fire was 1 km away when the wind shifted. He said it was not normal for a fire to travel 1 km in 30 to 60 seconds.

Rutland said infantry members had been conducting high-intensity combat training with live munitions at a grenade range and an attack range.

Officials had known about the fire at the base for several hours. However, a decision was made that training could continue for a certain amount of time.

Rutland said the exact cause of the fire was not yet known.

The Canadian Armed Forces said the incident remained under investigation and that there were currently no indications it had resulted from terrorist activity.