A major fire at a large training area at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright in east-central Alberta on Saturday left multiple people dead or injured, prompting an emergency response to treat a surge of patients.

Canada’s Minister of National Defence did not confirm the number of fatalities. The incident reportedly led to a fire. 

An emergency physician in Edmonton described the incident as a rare and severe disaster, according to reports. 

Emergency officials activated a “code orange” response in Edmonton to prepare for a large influx of patients arriving from the military base. 

Members of the public were asked to avoid the emergency department at University of Alberta Hospital as medical teams responded to the incident.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said the fire had affected “many of our brave military personnel,” while Prime Minister Mark Carney characterized the incident as “serious.”