Four service members have died and dozens more suffered serious injuries after a fire tore through Canadian Forces Base Wainwright in Alberta, Prime Minister Mark Carney said, calling it one of the country’s gravest peacetime military tragedies on domestic soil.
Mr Carney said relatives of those killed had been informed, while warning that the situation remained fluid.
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Senior military and government officials were expected to give a fuller account of the incident at the base later on Sunday, the prime minister said.
“The nation is in mourning for those brave members of our armed services,” he said.
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Earlier, Defence Minister David McGuinty said people had been killed and injured in the blaze, which triggered a major emergency response at the base. Reports indicated that large numbers of patients were being taken to hospitals.
Fire crews worked late into the night as powerful winds drove flames beyond Canadian Forces Base Wainwright and into nearby rural areas.
A doctor at a hospital in Edmonton, about 200km northwest of the base, told CBC that patients were being distributed among hospitals across the city after facilities closer to Wainwright became “completely overwhelmed”.
“This number of patients would overwhelm the city of Edmonton,” said Dr Warren Thirsk, an emergency department physician at the Royal Alexandra Hospital.
“It is more patients than any of us want to count right now. It’s a disaster. It’s a one in every 15 to 25-year disaster.”
The Canadian flag will fly at half-mast on federal buildings across Canada. All Canadians stand with the service members at CFB Wainwright, their families, and their community.
— Mark Carney (@MarkJCarney) October 18, 2026
Mr Carney ordered Canadian flags to be flown at half-mast on federal buildings nationwide to honour those affected by the tragedy.
“All Canadians stand with the service members at CFB Wainwright, their families, and their community,” Mr Carney said.
Acute Care Alberta said several hospitals had activated a Code Orange, the emergency designation used when multiple severely injured patients require a co-ordinated medical response.
The agency warned that emergency medical capacity had been stretched so severely that very few ambulances remained available in the Edmonton area.
It advised people to avoid the emergency department at the University of Alberta Hospital unless they needed urgent care.
Wainwright Mayor Bruce Pugh said the town’s small hospital was not equipped for a mass-casualty event, but praised local medical workers for their response.
Helicopters and planes were being used to move patients to other facilities, he said.
At least 10 ambulances were gathered in and around the Wainwright health centre late on Saturday as paramedics and soldiers moved hurriedly through the area. One patient was seen being loaded into an ambulance.
Wainwright, the town closest to the base, has a population of about 7,000.
Mr McGuinty said the Royal Canadian Mounted Police were assisting with the investigation and described the situation as “very, very active and delicate”.
Authorities were still trying to establish what had happened and would release more information when possible, he said.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) said officers were called shortly after 4pm local time after receiving reports of a fire inside the base’s training area.
Firefighters faced difficult and dangerous conditions as a windstorm swept across large parts of Alberta, producing gusts of up to 95km/h. Trees were knocked down, signs were blown over and rubbish bins rolled through streets.
By 11pm, the Municipal District of Wainwright said on social media that crews had contained the fire and protected property and critical infrastructure. Residents had not been ordered to evacuate.
Mr McGuinty said armed forces personnel were at the scene alongside RCMP officers.
“This is an active and delicate situation and soon to be an active and delicate investigation.”
Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe said his province was sending help to Alberta, though he did not identify the resources being deployed.
“Our thoughts are with all the brave women and men affected,” Mr Carney said in an earlier social media post.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith described the blaze as “significant and tragic” and said it was affecting a large number of military personnel.
CFB Wainwright is among Canada’s busiest military training installations, preparing soldiers for combat operations.
The base houses the Canadian Manoeuvre Training Centre, known for realistic battlefield exercises, as well as the 3rd Canadian Division Training Centre, which provides military instruction.
Canadian Conservative opposition leader Pierre Poilievre said he had spoken with Mr Carney and the defence minister to offer support to those affected.
“Pray for Wainwright, everyone,” Mr Poilievre wrote in a social media post. He urged residents to follow emergency instructions and leave roads open for first responders.
The fire also interrupted advance voting before Monday’s referendum on whether Alberta should begin a process that could eventually lead to independence from Canada.
Elections Alberta said polling stations in Lloydminster and Vermilion closed early on Saturday, with the ballots transported securely.
