Canada’s defence minister said Tuesday that 33 members of the Canadian Armed Forces are still being treated in hospital after Saturday’s deadly fire at CFB Wainwright in central Alberta.
David McGuinty, who was speaking to reporters in Ottawa after being in Alberta on Sunday and Monday, said he would not comment on the members’ conditions out of respect for their privacy but said he had the opportunity to meet with military members and health-care workers in Wainwright.
“It’s a delicate and evolving situation right now,” he told reporters on Tuesday morning.
“We will provide all the support that we possibly can to make sure they get the help that they need,” he said.
Initially, 39 soldiers were taken to hospital on Saturday. At least 19 of those were in critical condition, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said at a Sunday news conference.
‘Not out of the woods’: Family rallies around soldier badly burned in CFB Wainwright fire
CBC News has asked Acute Care Alberta to provide the latest number of hospitalized patients and how many of them remain in critical condition or have been discharged.
McGuinty thanked health-care workers for supporting the injured military members and declined to comment on the circumstances surrounding the fire, saying three separate investigations are underway.
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Mark Carney told reporters he spoke with Smith on Tuesday morning about a series of topics, including about providing additional support for fire victims and their families.
33 military members injured in CFB Wainwright fire still in hospital, defence minister says
Dr. Cheyanne Vetter, medical director of the Wainwright Health Centre, spoke with CBC’s Ian Hanomansing on Monday night about the small hospital’s response to the crisis.
She said the military called the hospital on Saturday to inform staff of the incoming mass casualty incident.
“From the time they received that phone call, within about five to 10 minutes, the first victims started to arrive and immediately we realized that the extent of their injuries was quite extreme and quite severe,” she said.
Wainwright Health Centre director describes mass casualty event at hospital | Hanomansing Live
Vetter said staff started putting two patients in each of the small emergency department’s six rooms, then began moving patients to the hospital’s acute care floor. That floor was turned into a functional emergency room for the night, she said.
She said helicopters from STARS air ambulance arrived as soon as it was safe to do so, medics from the military delivered critical clinical supplies and people working in support services like housekeeping and pharmacy helped ensure critical care providers could focus on their jobs.
“Everyone rose to the occasion, above and beyond my expectations,” she said.
What we know so far about fast-moving fire that killed 4, injured dozens at CFB Wainwright
