Several people have died and others have been injured in an incident at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright, Defence Minister David McGuinty confirmed Saturday evening, Oct. 17.
Speaking at a briefing in Ottawa, McGuinty did not disclose how many people were killed or injured or explain what happened.
Acute Care Alberta said Code Orange had been activated at several acute care facilities across the province to support the response and manage usual demand for emergency care.
The agency asked Edmonton-area residents needing immediate emergency care for life-threatening illness or injury to seek care at another Edmonton acute care facility instead of the University of Alberta Hospital emergency department, if at all possible. It directed patients to the AHS facility finder for other locations.
People with non-emergency needs were asked to consider primary care providers, urgent care or calling Health Link at 811.
In a statement, Shannon M. Shimek, the agency’s executive director of communications, said significant resources were required from the provincial emergency medical service and Edmonton-area emergency departments.
The agency said extremely few emergency medical response units were available in the Edmonton area at the time of its statement, and acute care capacity was limited in several communities across Alberta.
Code Orange is declared when health system resources must work together to care for multiple patients with severe conditions at the same time, the agency said.
Acute Care Alberta said care would be prioritized for patients with the most urgent needs. Alberta Health Services said posted emergency department wait times are estimates and do not apply to critically ill or injured patients.
Prime Minister Mark Carney linked the incident to a major fire in a post on X.
“A serious incident creating a major fire has occurred at CFB Wainwright, in Alberta,” Carney wrote.
Carney said the federal government was working closely with Alberta and local authorities.
In an update posted at 10:47 p.m. MDT on October 17, the Municipal District of Wainwright No. 61 said the wildfire south of Wainwright was being held. Crews would maintain a fire watch to monitor the affected area and respond to changing conditions, the district said.
Residents were asked to avoid the incident area and keep roads clear for emergency personnel and equipment.
The municipality said its incident information line had closed. It directed people seeking information about loved ones to the public affairs office at 819-531-8618.
