A fire that broke out in the training area of Canadian Forces Base Wainwright in Alberta on Saturday has left people dead and injured, Canada's military confirmed. The base is about 200 kilometres southeast of Edmonton.
National Defence said the fire ignited at about 4 p.m. local time on October 17 and "spread rapidly beyond the boundaries of the training area." In a Sunday morning update, the Canadian Armed Forces said it will not confirm how many people were killed or hurt until next of kin have been notified.
Multiple military sources told Global News that at least seven people are dead and dozens injured. Those sources said a live-fire training exercise hit a gas line or gas well, causing an explosion. Officials have not confirmed a cause.
Defence Minister David McGuinty said, "I cannot recall an incident like this in recent memory." He called it "a very, very active and delicate situation" and said the RCMP is involved in investigating.
Prime Minister Mark Carney said a "serious incident creating a major fire" had occurred. Premier Danielle Smith called it "a significant and tragic fire" affecting "many of our brave military personnel."
Wind gusts of up to 100 km/h pushed the flames across the base fence, Global News reported. Around midnight, the Municipal District of Wainwright said the wildfire was being held, with a fire watch kept in place overnight.
Several Alberta hospitals declared a Code Orange for mass casualties, Global News reported. Ambulances from across the province and STARS air ambulance crews from Edmonton and Saskatoon were sent to the area, and more than a dozen Canadian Armed Forces personnel parachuted into Wainwright to help.
Sources say hospitals across Alberta are now being overwhelmed by the number of injured being brought in from CFB Wainwright, as casualties continue to arrive from the base. The cause of the fire and its full extent are still unknown, and Canada's Department of National Defence is keeping details very quiet, declining to say how many people were hurt or how the blaze began.
Photo: Still from video posted by @JeffSempleGN on X
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