🇨🇦 Soldiers killed in massive blast and fire at Canadian army base

People have been killed and injured in an incident at CFB Wainwright in Alberta, the Canadian army's main live-fire training base, Defence Minister David McGuinty confirmed late Saturday. He gave no numbers and no cause, saying he could not recall anything like it in recent memory. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said the fire is "affecting many of our brave military personnel."

According to unconfirmed reports from local sources, troops had been running live-fire exercises for several days when an artillery shell struck an active natural gas well on the range, triggering a massive explosion. The blast reportedly flattened nearby training buildings, and the fire then reached munitions storage, setting off further detonations across the range.

The base has had gas wells and pipelines running through its training area since the late 1980s. NASA satellite data picked up multiple fire hotspots on the range on Saturday.

Strong winds pushed the fire past the base fence and into the surrounding countryside. Air ambulances were flown in from Edmonton and Saskatoon, and local hospitals reportedly went on emergency footing for mass casualties.

Prime Minister Mark Carney called it a "serious incident." Authorities have not confirmed the explosion, the gas well strike or the secondary detonations.

🔴 @DDGeopolitics