Seven killed in explosion at Canadian military training base in Alberta

An explosion and fire at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright in Alberta on Saturday killed seven people and injured others, according to Canadian officials. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) said authorities were called to the base shortly after 4pm local time (11pm GMT) following reports of a fire at a training area of the site.

Canadian defence minister David McGuinty confirmed the casualties in a statement. "I'm saddened to share that there have been both fatalities and injuries as a result of an incident on the base," he said. He added that it was not yet clear what caused the explosion, and that the Canadian military and the RCMP were investigating the incident. "I cannot recall an incident like this in recent memory," McGuinty said, according to The Telegraph.

Extreme shifts in wind patterns, with gusts as strong as 100 kilometres (62 miles) per hour, moved the fire toward the nearby town of Wainwright. The municipality said in an update shortly before 11pm local time that flames south of the town had been "held".

The base, located in eastern Alberta, is used for military training. No further details on the identities of the dead or the number of injured were immediately released. The investigation into the cause of the blast is ongoing.

According to Mehr News, citing The Telegraph, the incident remains under investigation by Canadian military and RCMP authorities.