Wainwright community comes together for those affected by CFB Wainwright fire

The town of Wainwright is still reeling after Saturday's tragic incident at CFB Wainwright that left four dead and 27 members still in hospital. Now people in the small town are paying their respects. I fear that grief is something we always carry, but it is always accompanied by love. And we've seen that. We've seen that in our neighbours and in people from across the country. And I don't think that's going to change. The mayor says that when he looked out into the crowd of people gathered at the Church of Nazarene, he saw members of the volunteer fire department, nurses, and doctors who responded to the incident. Pastor Ryan Wood says the idea to hold a prayer vigil came to them on Monday, and they wanted it to be sooner rather than later. I think a lot of our community people have felt a little bit at a loss of how we can support and care for each other. And on the same note, the doctors and nurses that had to bear the brunt of all of this, they're our neighbors and friends too, and we wanted to show our support for them in this way so that they knew that they were loved and cared for. The prayer vigil started at 7 p.m. on Wednesday. It allowed the community to come together during this difficult time. We're all thinking about them, and we wish recovery to all the injured soldiers, and we'll always be thinking about them, those that they lost and those that will be recovering. Over 200 community members gathered here in town and bowed their heads in prayer as representatives from seven churches led them in a service to honor all of those affected by the tragedy. Community members, including Wainwright's mayor, continue to tell us the only way to move forward is together. It helps us remember that there is more than just us, like there is a we and there is that humanity of support and if somebody's grieving, a willingness to help and to comfort and it can't be underestimated how that's impacted us in a positive way. Service members and residents also lined both sides of the highway in Wainwright Wednesday morning as service members at the center of the incident left CFB Wainwright bound for Edmonton. I probably shouldn't look around too much because I'll be overwhelmed. But yeah, it's incredible. It's incredible. I'm so proud of our CAF members. I'm so proud of our fire department. I'm so proud of our health care center and I'm so proud of our community. While the investigation is still ongoing at CFB Wainwright, Pugh tells us that he was already hearing the cannons from the base. He says their mission is continuing even as they grieve and there is comfort in knowing they stand on guard for us. Jessica Campbell, CBC News, Wainwright.