WAINWRIGHT, Alta.—The small town of Wainwright, Alta., is in shock and grieving in the wake of the deadly fire over the weekend at Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Wainwright.
Almost all the residents in the tight-knit community 200 kilometres southeast of Edmonton know someone on the base or have family or loved ones there, making the tragedy all the more personal.
“It’s very devastating for our family,” Wainwright resident Elaine Hills told The Epoch Times a day after the Oct. 17 tragedy, noting that her family interacts with members of the base on a daily basis.
Flags fly at half mast in Wainwright, Alta., near Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Wainwright on Oct. 18, 2026. (Paul Rowan Brian/The Epoch Times)
She said her daughter works at the local hospital where victims were transported following the incident, which left four Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) members dead and 39 others injured. Hills works at a local department store herself and said the military members who regularly visit the store have looked crestfallen since the tragedy….