Edmonton Journal has reported:

Wainwright Mayor Bruce Pugh said the town was reeling after a tragedy at the military base, where volunteer first responders returned Sunday morning to monitor a fire that had spread beyond the base’s boundaries. They watched for hotspots and flare-ups as the community began to process the loss and injuries.

Residents are accustomed to loud sounds from training exercises at the base, Pugh said. Live ammunition and cannon fire can make windows shake and plates rattle in cupboards, but he described those noises as an ordinary part of daily life in Wainwright.

Late Saturday afternoon, Pugh received a notification that the fire department was responding to an incident on the base and seeking support from other organizations. “Then I felt something was wrong,” he said.

Strong winds were moving through northern Alberta on Saturday. Pugh said they might not have helped, but the base was equipped to handle such conditions. “The military are so incredibly well trained and professional that if there was danger of (winds), the exercise wouldn’t have proceeded if there was a fear of that,” he said.

As the tragedy unfolded, Pugh said his thoughts were with those affected. “I feel for the members, the family members and the CAF colleagues who are in mourning. I feel for our first responders, and I feel for our hospital,” he said.

He also praised the community, town staff and armed forces, and said support had arrived from across Canada and around the world. “What amazing human beings they are,” Pugh said. He described people’s first response as asking, “what can I do?” and said that response showed how people can come together despite their differences.

The number of people permanently stationed at the base is smaller because it is a training facility, Pugh said, but military members are closely connected to the broader community. Many live in Wainwright-area communities and take part in local social organizations, while their children attend the same schools and recreation facilities and play on the same sports teams as other children.

“We have incredible collaboration between the base and the town and the (municipal district) as well,” he said. Wainwright residents have the benefit of recognizing and working alongside military members, Pugh added.

He pointed to neighbours who came from elsewhere in Canada, including one from Quebec City and another, a former military member, from Montreal. People bring different perceptions and political beliefs, he said, while many who served choose to remain in Wainwright after retirement. Pugh said that mix of backgrounds makes the community stronger.

After a gruelling day of grief and crisis, Pugh returned home and was greeted by his children. “I get home and I get a hug from my kids and I start to realize ‘okay this is what’s happened and I have to process,’ And that’s where I I see that that stainless steel, that strength of our community and surrounding area that I talked about rising. You know that’s what’s the essence of humanity is,” he said.

Pugh said people should not have to face difficult events alone. “I can’t promise you’re not going to have to do hard things, but I can promise you’re not going to have to go through it alone.We’re not big enough to go it alone, we have to work together. I use the metaphor of different fingers in the same hand.”

He said he could not recall a similar incident at the base, though a Hercules aircraft had crashed there decades ago. The Saturday fire crossed the base boundary, and volunteer first responders returned the following morning to watch the scene for renewed activity.