Canada: “A disaster”… Several dead and many injured after a fire on a military base

The “serious” incident occurred at the Wainwright military base in the western Canadian province of Alberta, resulting in a fire. “There were both deaths and injuries,” National Defense Minister David McGuinty said during a press briefing Saturday evening.

A doctor at a hospital in the city of Edmonton, about 200 km northwest of the base, said health facilities in Wainwright were "completely overwhelmed" by the number of patients requiring care. “There are more patients than anyone wants to count right now,” Warren Thirsk told CBC public broadcaster. “It’s a disaster that only happens once every 15 to 25 years.”

“A delicate and evolving situation”

The Minister of Defense did not give details on the number of victims or the circumstances of the tragedy but said “he did not remember an incident of this type in the recent past”. “We will have more to communicate in the hours and days to come” about the circumstances, “it is a delicate and evolving situation,” he added. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney had indicated earlier, in a message on his X account, that this “serious incident” had “caused a large-scale fire” on the base.

The fire “crossed the boundaries of the base earlier in the day and was actively managed” by firefighters from “multiple jurisdictions,” the municipality of Wainwright said on social media. He is “always monitored very closely”, assured the Minister of Defense, although he is under control. The Wainwright Municipal District explained on social media that the fire “spread quickly due to strong winds.”

The fire also disrupted early voting for Monday's consultation aimed at deciding whether or not to organize a future referendum on independence from Canada for this rich oil province of the country. The provincial body responsible for overseeing the electoral consultation indicated that the Wainwright early voting station had been closed.