CANADA MILITARY BASE FIRE LEAVES SEVERAL DEAD, INJURED

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Agency Report

A major fire at a military base in western Canada on Saturday left multiple people dead and injured, according to government officials.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced on X that a “serious incident creating a major fire” had occurred at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright in western Alberta.

The country’s Defence Minister, David McGuinty, confirmed during a news conference that the incident had resulted in fatalities and injuries. However, neither official disclosed the number of casualties or the circumstances surrounding the incident.

McGuinty said further information would be provided in the coming hours and days.

A doctor at a hospital in Edmonton, approximately 200 kilometres northwest of the base, told public broadcaster CBC that healthcare facilities in Wainwright had been overwhelmed by the number of patients requiring treatment.

“It is more patients than any of us want to count right now,” the doctor, Warren Thirsk, said, describing the incident as a major disaster of a scale that occurs once every 15 to 25 years.

The Municipal District of Wainwright said on social media that strong winds had caused the fire to spread rapidly.

In a subsequent update on Saturday, the district said the blaze was being contained, although firefighting teams would continue monitoring the area.

Carney said the federal government was working closely with Alberta officials and local authorities to respond to the incident.

“Our thoughts are with all the brave women and men affected,” the prime minister said on X.

The fire also disrupted advance voting ahead of Monday’s referendum-related vote concerning a future poll on whether Alberta should seek independence from Canada.

Alberta’s provincial election authority confirmed that the advance voting station in Wainwright had been closed because of the incident.