Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney pledged resources Monday for an investigation into a fire at an Alberta military base that killed four service members and injured 39, with its cause still undetermined.
Carney told the House of Commons that 50 investigators were in Alberta. He said the Canadian Forces National Investigation Service was leading the inquiry, assisted by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
The Canadian Armed Forces said the blaze started Oct. 17 in a training area at Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Wainwright and later moved beyond it. Members of the 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, were conducting live-fire training, the military said.
Of the 39 injured, 19 were in critical condition, The Associated Press reported. Carney had confirmed the four deaths in an earlier statement, saying the families of those killed had been notified and dozens of others were seriously wounded.
Maj. Gen. Wade Rutland said military officials let training continue while they believed the fire was contained; the wind shifted afterward, The Associated Press reported. Carney said investigators had not established what ignited the blaze.
