'Serious incident' at Canada base causes deaths, sparks fire: govt

Canadian Defence Minister David McGuinty announced on Saturday that there were "fatalities and injuries" following an incident at a military base in western Canada. The base, identified as Wainwright in Alberta, experienced a serious incident that sparked a major fire. Prime Minister Mark Carney had shared earlier on Saturday that a serious incident causing a significant fire had occurred at the base, though neither offered details on the number of casualties or the nature of the incident.

CFB Wainwright is one of Canada's busiest Army bases, situated about 200 kilometres southeast of Edmonton.

A local doctor stated that Wainwright’s health-care facilities were "completely overwhelmed" by the number of patients requiring care, calling it a "disaster" and a "one in every 15 to 25-year disaster." The Municipal District of Wainwright reported on social media that the fire had "spread rapidly due to high winds." Later on Saturday, it was reported that the blaze was being contained, with firefighting crews continuing to monitor the area.

Prime Minister Carney affirmed that the government was collaborating closely with Alberta officials and local authorities. He expressed his thoughts with all the brave women and men affected in the tragic incident on X. The fire also disrupted advance voting ahead of Monday’s referendum on a potential poll on whether Alberta seeks independence from Canada. The provincial office responsible for overseeing elections in Alberta confirmed that the advance voting station in Wainwright had been closed.