Deadly incident at military base in Alberta as major fire breaks beyond perimeter
Casualties and hospital response
Defense Minister David McGuinty said the incident at the Alberta base left people dead and injured. Officials had not established the number of casualties by Saturday night. Dr. Warren Thirsk, an emergency physician at Edmonton’s Royal Alexandra Hospital, told CBC News that patients were arriving at hospitals across the city. He said health-care facilities near the base were overwhelmed and described the scale as a rare disaster.
Fire crews face strong winds
Winds gusting up to 100 kilometres an hour affected large areas of Alberta, knocking down trees and moving signs and garbage cans. Fire crews worked late into the night as the flames spread beyond the base into nearby rural areas.
Base training and voting disrupted
Canadian Forces Base Wainwright is a major military training site, including the Canadian Manoeuvre Training Centre and the 3rd Canadian Division Training Centre. Soldiers prepare there for combat operations and take part in battlefield exercises.
Key points
- The incident at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright caused deaths, injuries and a major fire.
- Authorities had not confirmed how many people were killed or injured.
- Strong winds pushed flames beyond the base into surrounding rural areas.
- The fire disrupted advance voting at two Alberta polling locations.