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Canadian officials said Sunday that four service members were killed and dozens more injured after a fast-moving fire swept through soldiers conducting live-fire training at a military base in Alberta.
The deadly fire erupted Saturday at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright, where a sudden shift in powerful winds sent flames sweeping toward troops training in the area, according to The Associated Press.
Officials said 39 people were hospitalized, including 19 in critical condition. Eight others were listed as stable, while 12 were being treated for less serious injuries.
Maj. Gen. Wade Rutland, commander of the Edmonton-based 1st Canadian Division, said military officials had been aware of the fire for hours but believed it was contained enough for training to continue, AP reported.
"The fire was a kilometer away when the wind shifted. That is not normal for a fire to move a kilometer in 36 seconds," Rutland said.
Investigators have not yet determined what sparked the fire.
Those killed were identified by the military as Sgt. Morgan Wong and Privates Shaun Farrell, Aidan Goulding and Hayden Lykkemark, AP reported.
Wong was a member of the Loyal Edmonton Regiment, while the three others belonged to the 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry. All four were serving with the Edmonton-based battalion.
Prime Minister Mark Carney called the blaze one of the worst peacetime tragedies to strike Canada's armed forces on home soil, according to Reuters.
WATCH: VIRGINIA COPS CRAWL THROUGH BURNING HOUSE TO SAVE MAN TRAPPED IN FIRE
"I cannot recall such an incident in my short time for sure as a minister, but I cannot recall an incident like this in recent memory," Canadian Defense Minister David McGuinty told reporters.
The 39 injured people were being treated at hospitals in Wainwright, Edmonton, Red Deer and Calgary.
Air ambulances from Edmonton and Saskatoon were also sent to the base Saturday to help transport patients.
Several hospitals across Alberta activated a "Code Orange," an emergency designation used for mass-casualty incidents, as medical personnel prepared to treat the wounded.
Military and civilian firefighters battled the flames through the night as intense winds fueled the fire.
MARINE CORPS OSPREY CATCHES FIRE DURING EXERCISE IN NORTH CAROLINA; 4 INJURED
The fire crossed the base perimeter into the surrounding area, but officials said no evacuation orders were issued. By Sunday, local authorities said the blaze was not expected to spread beyond its existing boundaries.
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Carney announced that flags would fly at half-staff on federal buildings nationwide in honor of those killed and injured.
He also praised emergency crews who battled the flames through the night.
Fox News Digital's Michael Sinkewicz, Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Canadian officials confirmed fatalities and injuries following a serious incident that sparked a major fire at one of the country's busiest military bases Saturday.
Canadian Defense Minister David McGuinty confirmed the incident at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright in Alberta, a major Army training installation.
He did not immediately specify how many people were killed or injured.
"I’m saddened to share that there have been both fatalities and injuries as a result of an incident on the base," McGuinty told reporters.
McGuinty said the fire was still burning Saturday evening.
"I cannot recall an incident like this in recent memory," he added.
The municipality of Wainwright said the fire had spread beyond the military base's perimeter into the surrounding area.
However, local officials said no evacuation orders had been issued.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney addressed the incident in a post on X.
"A serious incident creating a major fire has occurred at CFB Wainwright, in Alberta," Carney wrote. "Our thoughts are with all the brave women and men affected."
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith described the incident in a post on X as a "significant and tragic fire" that affected military personnel at the base.
The Canadian Armed Forces, Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and local emergency personnel were responding to the incident, according to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC).
"The Canadian Armed Forces, the Department of National Defence, partners across the federal government, including public safety, are working with the government of Alberta and municipal governments to mobilize all necessary support," McGuinty said.
Canadian Forces Base Wainwright is located roughly 130 miles east of Edmonton and had approximately 1,310 military and civilian personnel stationed there in 2021, according to census figures cited by Reuters.
The nearby town of Wainwright has a population of approximately 6,600.
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It was not immediately clear what caused the incident.
Fox News Digital's Bradford Betz and Reuters contributed to this report.
Exclusive: Research confirms official advice about high-risk properties and warns worsening conditions will make more homes unsafe
Almost every home destroyed in New South Wales during the black summer bushfires of 2019-20 was inside the 100 metre buffer zone used to identify properties most at risk, new research has found.
The findings are an endorsement of the risk maps used by authorities, but the research warns that as global heating generates ever-worsening fire conditions, firefighters may have to extend the recommended distances between homes and vegetation to keep properties safe.
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© Photograph: Christine Tondorf/The Guardian
© Photograph: Christine Tondorf/The Guardian
© Photograph: Christine Tondorf/The Guardian
About 6,000 homes under evacuation, affecting 16,000 residents in San Clemente and San Juan Capistrano
At least six homes burned and two firefighters were injured after a fast-moving wildfire blazed through parts of southern California on Friday.
Two firefighters were taken to the hospital with heat-related injuries from the Norte fire, officials said.
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© Photograph: Gregory Bull/AP
© Photograph: Gregory Bull/AP
© Photograph: Gregory Bull/AP
© Philip Cheung for The New York Times
© Patrick T. Fallon/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
My recent trip to Malibu from Los Angeles was my first post-wildfire drive through the Pacific Palisades and, my goodness, there's nothing like seeing something with one's own eyes to grasp the enormity of the devastation. The obliterated hulks along Pacific Coast Highway 21 months after the tragedy raise multiple issues, including ones related to the excruciatingly slow rebuilding process.
This being California, the state has yet to grapple sufficiently with the reasons the wildfires started—and the failed response to them. But late is better than never, so I applaud a new report that Gov. Gavin Newsom commissioned from the nonprofit Fire Safety Research Institute. Released this month, it looked at the nitty-gritty of how the fires started and how multiple agencies reacted. The results aren't pretty.
The New York Times provided the best summary: "The comprehensive analysis found that while several state and local agencies fell fatally short in their preparation and response, the clearest lesson from the disaster was the extent to which climate-driven fires are outstripping modern firefighting." The report found LA officials failed to take the fires seriously enough at the outset. County officials handled the Altadena evacuations in a "chaotic" manner. They were unprepared for the intensity of the fire storms.
We've all read about some of the inexplicable stupidity. The Santa Ynez Reservoir was empty during the fires because of a repair to its protective cover, yet it's empty again (although it's in the process of being refilled). The California Coastal Commission allegedly delayed new permits for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power to install fire-resistant utility poles because of concerns about an endangered weed. The commission disputes that report—and there's still heated debate involving multiple agencies.
If we can't get multiple agencies on the same page on one minor question about milkvetch, I'm skeptical California can deal with the basics. The report said the tragedy involved "multiple interlinked systems rather than any single factor or failure." In one example by Patch, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department remained at normal staffing levels. The Los Angeles Fire Department was reportedly so concerned about overtime costs that it reportedly responded slowly.
This epitomizes California's approach to everything: Bigger agencies, higher spending, and expanded workforces. The left hand never knows what the right hand is doing. Other priorities outside of public protection—budgeting, meeting union demands, turf battles—take precedence. This isn't malicious, but reflects the fundamental nature of government.
Even after the state suspended rebuilding regulations, the rebuilding process is still in a quagmire because of the number of involved agencies. How could California realistically streamline a wildfire-fighting process that involves an alphabet soup of local, county, regional, and state bureaucracies? Even the feds are involved because around 45 percent of the state's land area is owned by them. The wildfire issue is a statewide problem, so the conclusions should resonate beyond LA.
Furthermore, the report argues that California needs to change its overall approach toward wildfire resilience. Back to the Times analysis, which noted that climate-driven fires are becoming more intense and that's challenging the traditional ways that the state has battled wildfires. But how often have you seen governments respond efficiently to external economic or environmental changes? All governments are slow-moving freight trains.
Everything government does is mired in the past. As an unrelated example, the nation's education system isn't much different than the one created in the 1800s—despite all the technological changes that should have sparked a revolution. When COVID hit, private schools adapted and provided successful at-home learning, whereas the public schools watched students fall behind and truancy rates soar. It's not any different with any public service, including firefighting.
My fear: California policymakers will read that summary about "climate-driven" fire risks and do what they always do: blame the problem on climate change and double down on the state's counterproductive climate policies. They are designed to change the entire Earth's weather patterns (even though California is responsible for less than 1% of the world's greenhouse emissions), rather than adjust our regulatory system to make us more resilient in the face of warming trends.
California's union-controlled state and local governments aren't about to adjust firefighting budgets so they can further stretch their dollars. State firefighters generally earn more than $250,000 in annual total compensation, with some Los Angeles firefighting officials earning pay levels that boggle the mind. Instead of trimming costs, California has been ratcheting up pay levels.
California state officials haven't even been forthright about their approach toward brush clearance. For instance, four years ago Newsom touted an important wildfire-prevention program that at the time hadn't completed a single project. We hear promises, but little action.
That's government for you. It doesn't do anything well and is incapable of learning the right lessons even from the best reports. Driving along PCH was just my latest reminder of this sad truth.
This column was first published in The Orange County Register.
The post Why Are California's Governments So Lousy at Fighting Wildfires? appeared first on Reason Magazine.
Forest fires in the Peruvian region of Cusco have resulted in six deaths and one serious injury, official sources reported on Thursday. Authorities have bolstered response efforts by deploying aerial assets and have urged the public to refrain from burning grasslands and agricultural waste.
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Ecuador Reports Seven Active Forest Fires in Four Provinces
The most recent fatality was a 75-year-old man who attempted to extinguish a fire that broke out in a locality within the Chumbivilcas province of Cusco. According to the official news agency Andina, the death was confirmed by officers from the Peruvian National Police (PNP), who notified the Public Prosecutor’s Office to facilitate the recovery of the body and its transport to the morgue.
Meanwhile, the Cusco Regional Health Department (Geresa) reported that a 65-year-old man sustained burns over more than 90% of his body while trying to escape a forest fire in the community of Santo Domingo, located in the Acopía district of Acomayo province. The patient has been admitted to the Cusco Regional Hospital, where his condition is described as critical.
Andina further reported that five other people have died in forest fires across various locations in the Cusco region this year, including the districts of Yanatile (Calca), Colquepata (Paucartambo), and Yanahuara (Urubamba). Additionally, two siblings—aged 11 and 18—perished in a separate incident in the Pomacanchi district of Acomayo.
La sierra peruana vive una de sus temporadas de incendios forestales más críticas. El 13 de octubre, el Serfor reportó más de 50 incendios activos en 14 regiones y 334 focos de calor. La falta de lluvias, las altas temperaturas y los vientos, agravados por el fenómeno El Niño,… pic.twitter.com/um5MxfkXrv
— Revista Lima Gris (@Limagris) October 15, 2026
The text reads, “The Peruvian highlands are experiencing one of their most critical wildfire seasons. On October 13, SERFOR reported more than 50 active fires across 14 regions, along with 334 heat hotspots. A lack of rainfall, high temperatures, and strong winds—exacerbated by the El Niño phenomenon—led SENAMHI to issue a red alert, effective until October 16, for regions including Cusco, Apurímac, Ayacucho, Huancavelica, Arequipa, and Puno. Cusco has been hit the hardest, with over 16,000 hectares affected this year and at least five deaths reported. Rural families are losing grazing lands, crops, and livestock—their primary means of subsistence. Experts warn that the state’s response is focused solely on extinguishing fires, while a coordinated prevention system remains conspicuously absent. In this video, a local resident records himself in front of the flames to denounce this neglect and call for action from the authorities.”
Authorities have advised the public not to attempt to extinguish fires on their own and have reiterated their call to avoid the burning of grasslands and agricultural waste. They also requested that any instances of fires being left unattended in local areas be reported to the authorities.
The Peruvian Air Force (FAP) deployed a C-27J Spartan aircraft and an MI-17 helicopter this week—both equipped with firefighting systems—to address active blazes in the Cusco region. Nationwide, 35 active forest fire emergencies were reported.
On Tuesday, President Keiko Fujimori took part in an overflight of the town of Calca to oversee response efforts and assess the situation in the affected areas.
Following the inspection, she confirmed that two fires had already been brought under control and stated that the aerial units would remain in Cusco until this coming November.
Brazil has launched joint operations to track down those suspected of deliberately setting fires in the Amazon rainforest, as a sharp rise in blazes blankets Manaus with toxic smoke and pushes air pollution to critical levels for the city’s 2.3 million residents.
— teleSUR English (@telesurenglish) October 15, 2026
Authorities… pic.twitter.com/fMwYcgpg8h
Brazil has launched joint operations to track down those suspected of deliberately setting fires in the Amazon rainforest, as a sharp rise in blazes blankets Manaus with toxic smoke and pushes air pollution to critical levels for the city’s 2.3 million residents.
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Authorities suspect an organized network is deliberately destroying native vegetation in preserved forest areas to facilitate the illegal seizure of public land, Environment Minister João Paulo Capobianco said at a news conference Wednesday. Investigators are working to identify and prosecute both those who set the fires and those suspected of directing them.
Capobianco described the situation as an “impressive display of deliberate action.” He and Jair Schmitt, head of Brazil’s environmental protection agency Ibama, cited reports of people throwing fuel-filled bottles from moving vehicles along roads and repeatedly reigniting fires in areas where firefighters had already extinguished them.
The scale of the fires has escalated sharply. Amazonas state recorded 1,608 fire hotspots in the first part of October, already exceeding the 874 registered throughout October 2025, according to Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research (INPE).
September saw more than 3,700 hotspots, four times the number recorded a year earlier. Fires burned 291,060 hectares that month, 38.8% above the historical average, according to official data.
In October, the area affected has approached 220,700 hectares, 249% above the usual level, according to the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro’s Laboratory for Environmental Satellite Applications.
The government has deployed 11 aircraft and approximately 300 firefighters to the hardest-hit areas. Difficult terrain and adverse weather conditions have complicated efforts to contain the blazes. Authorities have also warned that extreme drought and high temperatures associated with El Niño are accelerating the spread of fires across northern Brazil.
Smoke from fires in Amazonas and Pará states has engulfed Manaus, where air quality has deteriorated to critical levels. Concentrations of fine particulate matter known as PM2.5 have exceeded the maximum levels recommended by the World Health Organization, increasing the risk of acute respiratory problems, particularly among children, older people and those with pre-existing medical conditions.
The Civil Police of Amazonas has opened 120 investigative proceedings into suspected environmental offenses. Investigators are using thermal drones and conducting continuous ground patrols to gather evidence and identify those responsible.
The investigations come as Brazil prepares for a presidential runoff on Oct. 25 between incumbent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and opposition senator Flávio Bolsonaro, who received the most votes in the first round. Asked whether the fires could be politically motivated to undermine Lula’s candidacy, Capobianco said investigators were examining that possibility but stressed that the theory had yet to be substantiated.
Having tried cloud seeding and water bombing, one pilot project will see dry ice dispersed by plane across the province of South Sumatra
As fires ravage Indonesia, emitting a toxic smoke that has drawn the ire of regional neighbours, the government is testing an unusual new approach to tackle the haze: dry ice.
Having tried cloud seeding, water bombing and sending in army personnel to fight the fires, Indonesia’s coordinating security minister said dry ice would be dropped on the province of South Sumatra on Thursday.
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© Photograph: GENDES/EPA
© Photograph: GENDES/EPA
© Photograph: GENDES/EPA
Two American charities recently announced a new fund to fight forest fires. They want to raise US$100 million to help countries find fires faster and put them out sooner. But the fund, announced at the UN General Assembly, is limited to South America, home to the Amazon rainforest. Southeast Asia is left out, and so […]
The post Indonesia should have a seat at new forest firefighting fund appeared first on Asia Times.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen paid tribute on Wednesday to the Danish and Greek pilots who lost their lives while fighting wildfires in Greece, saying they had died as heroes. The two pilots were killed during a collision of two firefighting helicopters trying to extinguish a big forest fire in western Attica on […]
The post Von der Leyen pays tribute to Greek and Danish pilots killed fighting wildfires in Greece appeared first on Keep Talking Greece.
The wildfires came during a severe heat wave across North Africa.
The post Algeria mourns as deadly wildfires kill 12 and injure 54 appeared first on BOL News.
The European Union has sent urgent support to Serbia through its civil protection mechanism as severe wildfires continue to affect the Deliblato Sands Special Nature Reserve, where more than 3,500 hectares have already been impacted.
In response to the worsening situation, Serbia activated the civil protection mechanism on Friday 21 August, requesting European support to reinforce ongoing firefighting efforts. Within hours of Serbia's request, the EU mobilised 4 helicopters from the strategic reserve of the rescEU fleet based in Czechia, Romania and Slovakia, as well as ground firefighting teams from Germany and Romania.
These assets remain deployed and are supporting ongoing firefighting operations. Additionally, a liaison officer arrived in Serbia to facilitate close coordination between the Serbian authorities, the EU emergency response co-ordination centre, and the deployed teams, ensuring that assistance is delivered swiftly and effectively where it is most needed.
For emergency assessment and operational planning, the EU's Copernicus emergency management service was already activated on 8 August, providing satellite mapping and analysis of the affected area.
The fires have been ongoing for more than two weeks, fuelled by strong winds, challenging conditions, and terrain that is difficult to access for ground-based intervention. The scale and persistence of the emergency have threatened one of Serbia's most important natural areas.
Preparedness and Crisis Management Commissioner Hadja Lahbib said:
"Civil protection mechanism in action: firefighting teams from Czechia, Germany, Romania, Slovakia have joined the fight against wildfires in Serbia, working alongside local responders. In times of challenge, Europe stands strong."
A 59-year-old man has been arrested in northern Greece and admitted to have started several fires claiming stress at work. He has been remanded in custody pending trial on repeated arson charges with intent. He confessed to have started six fires between between August 8 and 11, 2026. in dry grass, reeds and agricultural land […]
The post Serial arsonist arrested in northern Greece, remanded in custody appeared first on Keep Talking Greece.
Two wildfires on the island of Zakynthos – Zante – on Tuesday mobilized strong firefighting forces and aerial means and forced the evacuation of a village. The first wildfire that broke out early Tuesday in the Marathias area of Keri was fully contained within a few hours, while a separate blaze triggered the evacuation of […]
The post “Beach Buggy” to blame for forest fire on Zakynthos (VIDEO) appeared first on Keep Talking Greece.
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