A catastrophic fire tore through Canadian Forces Base Wainwright in Alberta on Saturday afternoon, killing a number of soldiers and injuring dozens more in what the country's defence minister is calling a "serious incident" at one of the Canadian Armed Forces' largest training grounds.

The blaze broke out around 4 p.m. local time during a live-fire training exercise at the sprawling base roughly 200 kilometers southeast of Edmonton, according to Global News, which cited multiple military sources. The outlet reported the exercise struck a gas line or gas well on the property, and the resulting fire spread rapidly beyond the training area's boundaries in high winds — though officials have not independently confirmed that account.

Defence Minister David McGuinty confirmed there were both fatalities and injuries but declined to give an exact death toll, saying the "full extent of the impact remains under assessment." Global News reported at least seven people are dead, with dozens more injured, though that figure has not been officially verified by the Canadian Armed Forces.

Hospitals Scramble, Reinforcements Flown In

Military and civilian emergency crews converged on the base as the fire spread, and a Code Orange — a mass-casualty alert — was declared at several area emergency rooms to prepare for an influx of patients, according to CBC News. More than a dozen Canadian Armed Forces personnel were parachuted into the area as reinforcements.

"A SERIOUS INCIDENT" — DEFENCE MINISTER DAVID MCGUINTY

Wainwright is one of the Canadian military's primary training areas, regularly hosting live-fire exercises and multinational drills. Al Jazeera and The Globe and Mail both reported the minister's office had not released names, ranks or an exact casualty count pending notification of families.

The base has seen fatal training incidents before, though officials and outside observers described Saturday's fire as markedly more severe in scale. The Canadian Armed Forces said it would provide updates as the situation develops and that investigators would examine what triggered the blaze.

No information has yet been released about whether any civilians in the surrounding area were affected, or whether structures beyond the training range were damaged.