Four Canadian soldiers are dead and at least 19 others remain in critical condition after a grass fire tore through a live-fire training exercise at CFB Wainwright in Alberta, officials said, in what Prime Minister Mark Carney called one of the worst tragedies the Canadian Armed Forces have suffered on home soil in peacetime.

The fire broke out during high-intensity combat training involving Charlie Company of the 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, an Edmonton-based regiment. About 84 soldiers were split between a grenade range and a nearby area where they were practicing simulated attacks on enemy positions when the blaze, believed at first to be contained, suddenly shifted with the wind.

IT IS NOT NORMAL FOR A FIRE TO MOVE A KILOMETER IN 36 SECONDS

That assessment came from Maj. Gen. Wade Rutland, describing just how fast the flames closed in on soldiers who had little time to react. The dead have been identified as Sgt. Morgan Wong, Pvt. Shaun Farrell, Pvt. Aidan Goulding and Pvt. Hayden Lykkemark, all serving with the 3rd Battalion, PPCLI.

Sayeh Zielke, chief executive of Acute Care Alberta, said 19 soldiers were in critical condition in the immediate aftermath, with eight more stable and 12 others being treated for less serious injuries. A later update reported by CP24 put the number still hospitalized at 33 as of the following Tuesday. Albertans responded by lining up at blood donation clinics, with reports of a surge in donors across the province in the days after the fire.

Investigation Rules Out Early Theories

The Canadian Armed Forces said there is no indication the fire was linked to terrorism, and Rutland separately ruled out any apparent connection to nearby oil and gas infrastructure or outside interference. Military authorities have said a full investigation into the fire's cause could take at least a month. CFB Wainwright, built on former Buffalo National Park land that the province leased to National Defence in 1940, has long served as a major live-fire training ground for Canadian and allied forces.

In a statement to Parliament, Carney addressed the tragedy directly, offering condolences to the families of the four soldiers and praising the response of emergency crews who treated and evacuated the injured under chaotic conditions. The Army Reserve members training alongside the regular-force soldiers were also among those caught in the fire's path, according to the Prime Minister's Office.

Memorial services for the four soldiers are expected to be announced by the regiment in the coming days, and the Canadian Armed Forces said it would release further findings from the fire investigation as they become available.