Wainwright Fire
A major fire at a Canadian military base kills people and overwhelms Edmonton hospitals, officials say.
Fire tore through Canadian Forces Base Wainwright in Alberta on Saturday. People died. Others were hurt.
Defence Minister David McGuinty confirmed the deaths late Saturday. "There have been both fatalities and injuries as a result of an incident on the base," he said, according to the Guardian and Al Jazeera. He gave no casualty count. McGuinty called the situation "very, very active and delicate." He could not recall an incident like it in recent memory.
High winds drove the fire through the base's perimeter fence and into the surrounding district, the Municipal District of Wainwright said, according to BBC News, as gusts across the province reached 100 kilometers an hour that day, ABC News reported, toppling trees and scattering signs and garbage cans. By 11 p.m., the district said the fire was being held and no evacuation order was in place.
Edmonton hospitals, 180 kilometers northwest of the base, declared a mass-casualty response. Dr. Warren Thirsk, an emergency physician at Royal Alexandra Hospital, told the CBC the number of patients would otherwise "overwhelm" the city's health system. "It is more patients than any of us want to count right now," he said. "It's a disaster. It's a one in every 15 to 25-year disaster."
Prime Minister Mark Carney wrote on social media that a "serious incident creating a major fire" had struck the base and that his "thoughts are with all the brave women and men affected." Alberta Premier Danielle Smith called the fire "significant and tragic." Cause unknown.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is investigating, McGuinty said. Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe sent resources to Alberta and said he would send more if asked, ABC News reported. British Columbia Premier David Eby offered "all possible assistance," BBC News reported.
Pierre Poilievre said he had spoken with Carney and McGuinty to offer support. "Pray for Wainwright, everyone," he wrote online, urging residents to keep roads clear for emergency crews.
CFB Wainwright, about 180 kilometers southeast of Edmonton, trains soldiers for combat and houses the Canadian Manoeuvre Training Centre. The base typically holds about 690 military personnel and 300 civilian workers, CBC reported, according to BBC News.
Two days before Albertans vote Monday on a referendum over starting a process toward separation from Canada, the fire struck the base, Al Jazeera and DW reported. It forced two polling stations, in Lloydminster and Vermilion, to close early Saturday, ABC News reported.