Seven killed in explosion at Canada military training base

Authorities were called to the Canadian Forces Base Wainwright in Alberta shortly after 4pm local time on Saturday (11pm GMT) following reports of a fire at a training area of the site, according to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).

“I’m saddened to share that there have been both fatalities and injuries as a result of an incident on the base,” Canadian defense minister David McGuinty said.

It’s not yet clear what caused the explosion but Mr McGuinty said that the Canadian military and the RCMP were investigating the incident, The Telegraph reported.

“I cannot recall an incident like this in recent memory,” he said.

Extreme shifts in wind patterns, with gusts as strong as 100 kilometers (62 miles per hour), moved the fire to the nearby town of Wainwright.

Flames south of the town had been “held”, the municipality said in an update shortly before 11pm local time.