At least seven killed, dozens more injured in CFB Wainwright explosion and fire: report

As the sun rises on the aftermath of a reported explosion and fire at CFB Wainwright in Alberta on Saturday, more details are emerging about the fatal and tragic incident at the base southeast of Edmonton.

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Around 4 p.m., a fire inside a training area quickly spread beyond its boundaries, requiring “military and civilian emergency services” to attack the fire and assist the affected, according to the latest update from National Defence on Sunday.

While officials have yet to confirm the “full extent of the impact” or the number of dead, General Jennie Carignan, Canada’s Chief of the Defence Staff, indicated that they have started identifying the deceased and notifying their next of kin.

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“While casualty identification and notification processes are ongoing, I extend my deepest condolences to the loved ones of those who have lost their lives,” she said in Sunday’s update.

Global News, however, reported at least seven were killed and dozens more were injured, according to multiple Canadian Armed Forces sources. 

The individuals told the outlet the explosion resulted from a gas line or gas well on the base being hit during a live-fire training exercise and that high winds fueled the resulting fire. Environment Canada, which had warned of high winds earlier in the day, later recorded gusts of 98 km/h at Edmonton International Airport Saturday afternoon.

As of early Sunday morning, the “wildfire south” of the town of Wainwright, located just northeast of the base, was being held and a fire watch remains in place, the municipal district said on social media.

Several hospitals in the region, including Edmonton’s Royal Alexandra and the University of Alberta’s, were under code orange, which is activated only in mass casualty events, according to the Edmonton Journal.

Health care facilities in Wainwright itself, a town of less than 7,000, were “completely overwhelmed,” an ER doctor at the Royal Alexandra told CBC, noting the number of incoming patients “would overwhelm the city of Edmonton.”

“It is more patients than any of us want to count right now,” Dr. Warren Thirsk said. “It’s a disaster. It’s a one in every 15 to 25-year disaster.”

Global reported that ambulances from throughout the province were dispatched to CFB Wainwright and the municipality, leaving some communities short-staffed on 911 response. 

“At this time, extremely few EHS-Alberta response units are available in the Edmonton area, and acute capacity is finite in several communities across Alberta,” ACA said late Saturday night, per Global.

Charitable helicopter service Stars Ambulance also dispatched three aircraft to Wainwright Saturday night, according to its X account, and there are multiple reports of additional Canadian Armed Forces personnel parachuting into hospitals.

More to come.

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