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Canadian authorities are looking for the cause of a grass fire at a military base that has killed four people and left 39 hospitalized. Of those in hospital care, officials say 19 are in critical condition. Julian Abraham reports.
JULIAN ABRAHAM, BYLINE: Canadian Forces Base Wainwright is in East Central Alberta, about 130 miles from the province's capital, Edmonton. The training base is one of Canada's busiest, where soldiers often practice with live ammunition. Witnesses say on Saturday afternoon around 4 p.m., they heard a loud explosion. Major General Wade Rutland said on Sunday that they don't yet know a cause, but a grass fire started in a training area.
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WADE RUTLAND: The cause of this fire is under active investigation. And what I would say is there were multiple training activities happening throughout the training area at the time. Uncommonly strong winds caused the fire to spread rapidly.
ABRAHAM: Prime Minister Mark Carney ordered flags to be flown at half-mast at federal government buildings and promised support to the families affected.
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PRIME MINISTER MARK CARNEY: We will care for the injured through every step of their recovery. And we will stand by the women and men of our armed forces as they bear the weight of this loss. They will not carry it alone 'cause in Canada, we take care of one another.
ABRAHAM: Carney described the fire as one of the worst tragedies for the country's military on Canadian soil during peacetime. Alberta's premier, Danielle Smith, also spoke on Sunday, expressing her condolences.
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DANIELLE SMITH: To our injured, to our military community and to the people of Wainwright, Alberta stands shoulder to shoulder with you.
ABRAHAM: Canada's Department of National Defense says they've ruled out any of the base's oil and gas lines as a cause of the fire and that they've found no evidence of what they call terrorist activity.
For NPR News, I'm Julian Abraham in Toronto.
(SOUNDBITE OF FUUBUTSUSHI'S "BOLTED ORANGE") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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