Massive fire at Canada military base kills service members, dozens injured

A major fire at Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Wainwright in Alberta resulted in at least four service members being killed and dozens more seriously injured, according to The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald. The Canadian Armed Forces stated on Saturday that the full extent of the casualties is still being assessed.

The fire broke out in the base's training area at approximately 4 pm local time on October 17 and spread rapidly beyond its boundaries, according to a statement from Canada’s Department of National Defence on October 18. Canadian Defence Minister David McGuinty confirmed the fatalities and injuries but did not disclose the specific number of casualties or the cause of the incident.

The Canadian military and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police are investigating the event. The Canadian Armed Forces said military and civilian emergency services responded to contain the fire and assist those affected, noting that their immediate priority is supporting those impacted and notifying next of kin.

Brief written by urgent.news from The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald, Live Mint — 3 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.