A major fire has broken out at the Wainwright military base in Canada’s Alberta province, leaving people dead and injured.
Canada’s Defence Minister David McGuinty said this, Reuters reports.
“I am sorry to report that as a result of the incident at the Canadian Armed Forces base Wainwright, there are both fatalities and injuries,” McGuinty told journalists in Ottawa.
The minister did not specify the number of dead and injured, nor did he say what caused the incident. He said that as of Saturday evening, a major fire was still burning on the base.
“I don’t recall a similar case in recent times,” the defence minister noted.
The investigation is being conducted by the Canadian military together with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said on social media that the federal government is working closely with the Alberta provincial government and local authorities.
According to the 2021 census, 1,310 service personnel and civilian employees were based at Wainwright. The base is located in east-central Alberta, about 210 km east of Edmonton.
The municipality said on social media that the fire spread beyond the base fence to neighbouring land. No evacuation was ordered, however.
- In September, near the village of Tsareva Livada in Bulgaria, an explosion occurred at a weapons depot, after which a fire broke out. The depots stored ammunition intended for export to Ukraine and Georgia.