Voters in Alberta have overwhelmingly backed remaining in Canada, with four-fifths of votes counted showing 75% support for staying.

Voters in Canada's oil-rich Alberta province will decide Monday whether to begin a process that could lead to independence.

Fire crews scrambled late Saturday as fierce winds whipped flames beyond Canadian Forces Base Wainwright and into the surrounding rural area.

Alberta is not voting to leave Canada on Oct. 19. Instead, voters will decide whether the province should remain in Canada or begin the legal process toward a future referendum on separation.

"This referendum comes at the worst possible time," Carney told a large pro-Canada rally in Calgary. "The world has become more dangerous and divided. Some outside our borders are working to break us so they can own us."