A “serious incident” at a military base in Alberta, Canada, on Saturday caused a major fire that killed and injured people, officials said.
Defense Minister David McGuinty did not say at a news conference what caused the fire at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright or provide details on the number of victims.
“This is a very, very active and delicate situation,” he said. He added that the Royal Canadian Mounted Police are involved in the investigation. McGuinty said he “cannot recall an incident like this in recent memory.”
A doctor in Edmonton told Canada’s national broadcaster, the CBC, that hospitals in Wainwright were “completely overwhelmed” by the number of patients needing care.
“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,” said Warren Thirsk, an emergency department physician at the Royal Alexandra Hospital.
Hospitals in Edmonton declared a “code orange,” an emergency protocol activated during mass-casualty incidents, he said.
Prime Minister Mark Carney said in an earlier statement on X that a “serious incident” created a major fire at the base. “Our thoughts are with all the brave women and men affected,” he said.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said a “significant and tragic fire” was “affecting many of our brave military personnel.”
Wainwright is one of Canada’s busiest army bases and is used to train soldiers for military operations.
The fire started in a training area of the base around 4 p.m. and “spread rapidly” beyond its boundaries, the Defense Department and Canadian Armed Forces said in a statement.
“As emergency responders continue their work and the situation continues to evolve, the full extent of the impact remains under assessment,” the statement said.
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