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By JACK TOLEDO
Published: | Updated:
Paratroopers from the Canadian military were seen dropping into a military base following a catastrophic explosion that killed seven people and injured dozens more on Saturday.
The blast reportedly occurred after a gas line or well was hit during a live-fire training exercise at Base Wainwright in Alberta, according to Global News.
The blaze broke out at around 4pm local time before spreading to the surrounding area.
Footage showed members of the Royal Canadian Air Force packing their parachutes shortly after descending onto the base.
'More than a dozen CAF personnel literally parachuting into Wainwright, arriving at the local health centre to respond to the explosion and fire at the nearby Canadian Forces Base,' wrote Global News correspondent Jeff Semple in a post on X.
Following the explosion, doctors in Edmonton, around 120 miles northwest of the base, said they were being inundated with patients.
'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,' Warren Thirsk, an emergency department doctor at the Royal Alexandra Hospital, told CBC News.
Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) paratroops are seen packing their parachutes after landing at Base Wainwright in Alberta
Emergency services rushed to the scene of the fire in Alberta on Saturday night after at least seven people were killed and dozens more were injured
'This number of patients would overwhelm the city of Edmonton and that is why we are clearing our decks and mobilizing to respond as if it was our own city.'
Firefighters also faced volatile conditions as a windstorm swept across large areas of Alberta, bringing gusts of up to 62mph that toppled trees and sent street signs flying.
However, no evacuation order was issued for the nearby town of Wainwright, which has around 7,000 residents.
Canadian Defence Minister David McGuinty confirmed the deaths and said the Royal Canadian Mounted Police were involved in investigating the blaze.
Speaking to reporters in Ottawa, he described the situation as 'very, very active and delicate' and said he could not 'recall an incident like this in recent memory.'
Paramedics work at the Wainwright Health Centre as injured military members are treated
The blaze is seen here on NASA's fire resource management system
Authorities were still working to determine what happened, with McGuinty saying further information would be provided in the coming hours and days.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said: 'A serious incident creating a major fire has occurred at CFB Wainwright, in Alberta. Our thoughts are with all the brave women and men affected.'
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith described the fire as 'significant and tragic' and thanked first responders and those providing care to those affected.
Wainwright is home to the Canadian Manoeuvre Training Centre, which conducts realistic battlefield exercises, and the 3rd Canadian Division Training Centre, which provides military training.
The military training base is one of Canada's busiest and is a major site for live-fire exercises.
The base had 1,310 military and civilian personnel stationed there as of 2021, according to census data.
The fire also disrupted advance voting ahead of Monday's referendum on whether Alberta should begin a process that could lead to independence from Canada.
Elections Alberta said two polling locations, in Lloydminster and Vermilion, closed early on Saturday, with ballots transported securely.