Overview
- The fire began in a training area during live-fire exercises on Saturday and high winds carried flames rapidly beyond the range, leaving four service members dead and 39 wounded.
- Prime Minister Mark Carney and Defence Minister David McGuinty confirmed the confirmed casualty figures and said next-of-kin notifications and identification are underway before further details are released.
- The Canadian Forces National Investigation Service is leading a criminal probe with RCMP support and about 50 investigators have been deployed to determine cause and accountability.
- Military officials have acknowledged they knew of a nearby fire earlier and will face scrutiny over the decision to continue training while the fire was thought contained.
- Hospitals in Edmonton activated mass-casualty response protocols to handle a large influx of burn and trauma patients, and investigators will examine the role of buried gas wells, pipelines and sudden wind shifts in the rapid spread of the blaze.