Canada base incident causes deaths and major fire

A serious incident at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright in western Alberta caused fatalities and injuries and started a major fire on Saturday, Canadian officials said.

Defense Minister David McGuinty said there were “both fatalities and injuries” from the incident, but officials did not give casualty numbers or explain the nature of the incident.

Prime Minister Mark Carney said on X that the incident had created a major fire at the military base. He said the federal government was working with Alberta officials and local authorities.

The Municipal District of Wainwright said the fire spread rapidly because of high winds. It later said the blaze was being held, though crews would keep monitoring the area.

Warren Thirsk, a doctor at a hospital in Edmonton about 200 kilometres northwest of the base, told CBC that Wainwright's health-care facilities were overwhelmed by the number of patients needing care.

The fire also disrupted advance voting before Monday's referendum on a future vote over whether Alberta wants independence from Canada. Alberta's election authority said the advance voting station in Wainwright had closed.