An incident at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright in Alberta on Saturday sparked a major fire that spread beyond the base in high winds, and Defense Minister David McGuinty confirmed fatalities and injuries among military personnel.
Global News reports “at least seven people are dead and dozens more left injured.”
The report added:
A live-fire training exercise hit a gas line or gas well on the base causing an explosion around 4 p.m. MT, multiple Canadian Armed Forces sources told Global News.
A fire then broke out and spread, fuelled by wind gusts of up to 100 km/h that prompted much of Alberta to be under wind warnings on Saturday.
Officials were tight-lipped about details, but McGuinty said he was “saddened to share that there have been both fatalities and injuries as a result of an incident on the base.”
