Alternate sources:
- https://globalnews.ca/news/12106709/cfb-wainwright-fire/
- https://ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelle/2293498/carney-incendie-wainwright-base-forces-armees-alberta
- https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-major-fire-at-cfb-wainwright-in-alberta/
- https://www.castanet.net/news/Alberta/634801/Deaths-and-injuries-after-explosion-at-Alberta-military-base
Statement from Defence Minister David McGuinty via. CPAC: https://youtube.com/watch?v=2wGfoK3nqOs
Excerpts:
Acute Care Alberta says EMS are on the scene providing care and transport related to the emergency at the military base about 200 kilometres southeast of Edmonton.
He said Armed Forces members are at the scene and that RCMP are also involved.
David McGuinty, speaking to reporters late Saturday in Ottawa, said he had no other details to share, including the number of casualties or what happened.
As McGuinty delivered the news, fire crews in Alberta were battling a blaze raging between the base and the nearby town of Wainwright.
Asked if the town was threatened by the fire, McGuinty said he understands people there are actually helping the base with the injured and the fire.
Firefighters are facing a volatile situation. Large areas of the province were hit during the day by a windstorm with gusts up to 100 kilometres an hour. The wind toppled some trees, sent signs flying and garbage cans rolling down streets.
CFB Wainwright is a massive military training base located 200 kilometres from Edmonton. It’s one Canada’s busiest and is used mainly to train soldiers and prepare units for combat operations.
It’s also the site of the Canadian Manoeuvre Training Centre, which prepares military units to operate together in realistic battlefield conditions, as well as the 3rd Canadian Division Training Centre, which provides basic infantry training.
BBC also reporting on it - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cr86z0w4lxdxo
According to Global’s coverage, this was a live fire exercise gone wrong;
Call before you bomb.
It feels like a bit of an oversight to not have all of those sandbagged right up. Unless, I guess, it was something ground penetrating.
Remember, in CAF parlance, “live fire” includes artillery, missiles, and 2000lb bombs. Sandbags aren’t gonna do much against those.
Edit to add: Which isn’t really the point, because you don’t put live fire within kilometers of anything like that on purpose. This was either a major fuck up or - more likely - something that wasn’t known about, like a naturally occurring gas pocket that was ignited by an explosive round.
I’m going to “suggest” that the latter is far, far more likely to have been the case in this particular instance.