{"id":932457,"date":"2026-10-18T09:44:12","date_gmt":"2026-10-18T09:44:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/932457\/"},"modified":"2026-10-18T09:44:12","modified_gmt":"2026-10-18T09:44:12","slug":"several-dead-after-major-fire-breaks-out-at-canada-military-base","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/932457\/","title":{"rendered":"Several dead after major fire breaks out at Canada military base"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n Several people are dead or injured following a major fire at one of Canada\u2019s busiest military bases on Saturday, which was sparked by an unspecified \u201cserious incident.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n The cause of the blaze remains unclear, but a large number of patients have been taken to hospital in what one official called a \u201cone in every 15- to 25-year disaster.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n The fire began at the base in Wainwright, a town in eastern Alberta province, according to officials, and \u201cspread rapidly due to high winds,\u201d said the municipal district in a Facebook post Saturday evening. A call for assistance came around 4 p.m., according to the Wainwright Royal Canadian Mounted Police.\n <\/p>\n

\n Defense Minister David McGuinty said in a video statement \u201cthat there have been both fatalities and injuries as a result of an incident on the base.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\"thumb_23080149_1244.6589999999999_thumb.jpg\"<\/p>\n

Canadian Defense Minister says he “cannot recall an indent like this”\n <\/p>\n

\"thumb_23080149_1244.6589999999999_thumb.jpg\"<\/p>\n

Canadian Defense Minister says he “cannot recall an indent like this”<\/p>\n

0:37<\/p>\n

\n He did not provide details about the number of casualties or what caused the initial blaze, but called it an \u201cactive and delicate situation\u201d and said an investigation would be launched soon.\n <\/p>\n

\n The Canadian Armed Forces said the specific numbers of dead and injured won\u2019t be made clear until next of kin are informed.\n <\/p>\n

\n Late Saturday night, the municipal district said the fire was \u201cbeing held at this time,\u201d though fire crews will continue to monitor the area.\n <\/p>\n

\n CFB Wainwright, located about 210 kilometers (130 miles) southeast of provincial capital Edmonton, is one of the country\u2019s most important army bases. It houses the Canadian Manoeuvre Training Centre and the 3rd Canadian Division Training Centre. It\u2019s also a training ground for army field force units based in Edmonton.\n <\/p>\n

\n Prime Minister Mark Carney confirmed the fire had stemmed from \u201ca serious incident,\u201d without specifying details.\n <\/p>\n

\n A code orange, which designates an emergency response protocol for a high number of patients, has been declared in Edmonton, according to CNN\u2019s newsgathering partner CBC<\/a>, citing emergency department physician Dr. Warren Thirsk at the city\u2019s Royal Alexandra Hospital.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cIt\u2019s a one in every 15- to 25-year disaster,\u201d he said, adding that Wainwright\u2019s healthcare centers have been \u201ccompletely overwhelmed.\u201d Patients are now being diverted to hospitals across Edmonton.\n <\/p>\n

\n CNN has reached out to the Royal Alexandra Hospital, other Edmonton health centers, and Alberta Health Services for comment. CNN has also reached out to the military base, the Wainwright fire department, the Alberta premier\u2019s office, and the municipal district.\n <\/p>\n

\"Emergency<\/p>\n

\n The Canadian Armed Forces, the federal government, provincial and local authorities are cooperating \u201cto mobilize all necessary support, and working through the details of what actually occurred,\u201d McGuinty said.\n <\/p>\n

\n Alberta Premier Danielle Smith called the disaster \u201csignificant and tragic,\u201d saying it was \u201caffecting many of our brave military personnel.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n No evacuation order has been issued. Authorities have asked residents to avoid the incident area, keep roads clear, and avoid visiting the Wainwright Health Center except for critical medical needs.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cI cannot recall such an incident in my short time for sure as a minister \u2026 I cannot recall an incident like this in recent memory,\u201d McGuinty said in the video statement, responding to a journalist\u2019s question.\n <\/p>\n

\n Opposition leader Pierre Poilievre also wrote in a post that he had spoken to McGuinty and Carney about the fire, thanked emergency responders, and added: \u201cPray for Wainwright, everyone.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n This is a developing story and will be updated.\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Several people are dead or injured following a major fire at one of Canada\u2019s busiest military bases on…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":932458,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[64,63,75,128],"class_list":["post-932457","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-environment","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-environment","tag-science"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/932457","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=932457"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/932457\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/932458"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=932457"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=932457"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=932457"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}