A fire at CFB Wainwright in Alberta caused deaths and injuries Saturday. The cause has not been disclosed.
A major fire at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright in Alberta caused deaths and injuries on Saturday after what officials called a serious incident on the base, Defense Minister David McGuinty said.
Officials had not released casualty figures. The Canadian Armed Forces said the numbers would not be clear until next of kin were informed. Global News, citing multiple unnamed military sources, reported that at least seven people were killed and dozens injured. Global News also reported that a gas line or gas well was hit during live-fire training, causing an explosion that sparked the blaze. Officials have not confirmed the cause. McGuinty said he could not recall an incident like it in recent memory and described the situation as very active and delicate.
The Municipal District of Wainwright said the fire spread rapidly in high winds and crossed the base’s fence into the surrounding rural area. Late Saturday it said the fire was being held, though crews would continue to monitor it. No evacuation order was in effect, CBS News reported. An emergency physician at Edmonton’s Royal Alexandra Hospital told CBC News that patients were being brought to hospitals across the city because health-care facilities near the base were overwhelmed. He described it as a disaster seen once every 15 to 25 years. Authorities asked residents to avoid the area, keep roads clear for responders and stay away from the Wainwright Health Centre except for critical medical needs.
Prime Minister Mark Carney said a serious incident had caused the fire and that he was in close contact with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and relevant ministers. Smith called it a significant and tragic fire that affected many military personnel. Opposition Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre said he had spoken with Carney and McGuinty to offer support.
CFB Wainwright, about 125 miles (200 kilometers) southeast of Edmonton, is one of Canada’s busiest army training bases. About 1,310 military and civilian personnel were stationed there in 2021, according to census figures cited by Reuters.
Information for this report was provided by CBS News, CNN, Al Jazeera, Global News, CBC News and The Associated Press.