Major fire breaks out in Alberta after deadly incident at military base

Canada’s defense minister reported on Saturday that an incident at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright in Alberta resulted in a major fire that killed and injured people. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police were called shortly after 4 p.m. following reports of a fire in a training area. Defense Minister David McGuinty stated that police are investigating the situation, which he described as "very, very active and delicate."

According to Gulf News, strong winds reaching gusts of 100 kilometres per hour drove flames beyond the base and into surrounding rural areas. The incident prompted a major emergency response, and hospitals reportedly became overwhelmed by the number of casualties. Dr. Warren Thirsk, an emergency physician at Edmonton’s Royal Alexandra Hospital, told CBC News that facilities closer to the base were overwhelmed, leading hospitals across Edmonton to receive patients.

By 11 p.m., the Municipal District of Wainwright reported that the fire was being contained. The exact number of people killed or injured was not immediately clear.

Brief written by urgent.news from NPR, Gulf News — 2 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.