Alberta Military Base Fire: 7 Dead at CFB Wainwright
The alberta military base fire began Saturday afternoon at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright, one of the country’s busiest army training installations, and turned into one of the deadliest accidents in the Canadian Armed Forces’ recent memory. At least seven people were killed and dozens more injured, according to military sources cited by Global News, after an explosion tore through the base’s training area and high winds whipped the flames far beyond its fences.
Explosion During Live-Fire Training
The fire started in the base’s training area at around 4 p.m. local time on Saturday — 6 p.m. Eastern — and “spread rapidly due to high winds,” according to the Municipal District of Wainwright, ripping through the fences of the base and into the surrounding rural area. Late Saturday night, officials said the fire was “being held at this time,” though crews would keep monitoring the area.
Multiple military sources told Global News that a live-fire training exercise struck a natural gas line or gas well, triggering the explosion and fire. Canadian military authorities have not publicly confirmed that account. Defence Minister David McGuinty confirmed there were fatalities and injuries but released no official casualty count, calling the situation “very, very active and delicate.” The Royal Canadian Mounted Police were called to the base shortly after 4 p.m., and McGuinty said an investigation would be launched. The Canadian Armed Forces said specific numbers of dead and injured will not be made public until next of kin are informed.
CFB Wainwright, about 210 kilometres southeast of Edmonton in eastern Alberta, is described by the CBC as “the principal base for live fire training exercises.” It houses the Canadian Manoeuvre Training Centre and the 3rd Canadian Division Training Centre, and on a regular day hosts around 690 military personnel and 300 civilian workers.
A “One in 15-to-25-Year Disaster”
The scale of casualties overwhelmed local care. A code orange — the disaster response protocol for a high number of patients — was declared at hospitals in Edmonton, roughly 180 kilometres northwest of the base, and the public was urged to avoid the University of Alberta Hospital emergency department. One doctor said Wainwright’s health-care facilities were “completely overwhelmed.”
Dr. Warren Thirsk, an emergency physician at Edmonton’s Royal Alexandra Hospital, told the CBC the flood of patients was beyond anything the system could absorb. “This number of patients would overwhelm the city of Edmonton,” he said. “It is more patients than any of us want to count right now. It’s a disaster. It’s a one in every 15- to 25-year disaster.”
In dramatic scenes, members of the Royal Canadian Air Force were filmed parachuting into the base on Saturday night, with more than a dozen personnel landing near the local health centre to join the emergency response. Ambulances also converged on Wainwright High School, which was reportedly used as an emergency staging area, though authorities had not confirmed that.
Investigation Underway
Prime Minister Mark Carney said on social media that a “serious incident creating a major fire” had occurred, adding that his thoughts were with the service members affected. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith called the fire “significant and tragic” and said it was affecting many military personnel, while opposition Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre said he had spoken with Carney and McGuinty to offer support and urged residents to keep roads clear for first responders.
McGuinty told reporters he “cannot recall an incident like this in recent memory” and promised more information in the coming hours and days as investigators work to determine exactly what went wrong on the training ground. The town of Wainwright, home to about 7,000 people, sits just outside the base’s gates.
Source: CNN