Seven Dead, Dozens Injured as Major Fire Engulfs Canada Military Base
At least seven people were killed and dozens more left injured in an incident at a military base in Alberta, Canada, that caused a major fire late Saturday night.
Fire crews scrambled late into the evening as fierce winds whipped flames beyond Canadian Forces Base Wainwright – one of the country’s busiest military training bases – and into the surrounding rural area, AP reports.
Canadian TV network Global News notes at least seven were killed and dozens more injured when a gas line or gas well was hit during a live-fire training exercise, citing unnamed military sources.
Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney said a “serious incident creating a major fire” had occurred, adding his “thoughts are with all the brave women and men affected”.
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) said Royal Alexandra Hospital in Edmonton had declared a code orange, a disaster response protocol for responding to a high-casualty incident.
“This number of patients would overwhelm the city of Edmonton,” Dr. Warren Thirsk, an emergency department physician at the Royal Alexandra Hospital, told CBC News. “It is more patients than any of us want to count right now. It’s a disaster. It’s a one in every 15- to 25-year disaster.”
The town of Wainwright has about 7,000 residents and is near the base which is home to the Canadian Manoeuvre Training Centre dedicated to conducting realistic battlefield exercises, and the 3rd Canadian Division Training Centre, which provides military training.
Defense Minister David McGuinty said the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) were involved in investigating the incident and described the situation as “very, very active and delicate.”
He said authorities were still working to determine what happened and expected to provide further information.
No direct cause has yet been identified for the deadly conflagration.
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