33 military members remain hospitalized after deadly CFB Wainwright fire
Defence Minister David McGuinty says the situation for the injured is delicate and evolving as investigations continue.
OTTAWA — Defence Minister David McGuinty says 33 members of the Canadian Armed Forces remain in hospital after a deadly fire swept through a training ground at CFB Wainwright in Alberta on Saturday.
McGuinty, speaking to reporters in Ottawa on Tuesday after visiting the base and injured personnel, described the situation as “delicate and evolving” for those still receiving care.
“We will provide all the support that we possibly can to make sure they get the help that they need,” he said.
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The minister said he would not comment on the condition of those in hospital out of respect for their privacy.
On Sunday, the Canadian Armed Forces said four people were killed in the fire and 39 injured, including 19 critically.
Prime Minister Mark Carney said Monday there are 50 investigators on the ground examining what happened when a grass fire tore through the area where a training exercise was taking place.
McGuinty said there are three separate investigations underway.
He said this includes the RCMP working with military police on the formal investigation, the fire marshal’s work and the Canadian Armed Forces Board of Inquiry, which examines matters of unusual significance or complexity resulting in the death or serious injury of military personnel.
McGuinty declined to answer reporters’ questions on whether he has learned more about how the tragedy occurred.
“I was not able to visit the site of the actual fire or this tragedy, this incident, but I was able to get a bit of a briefing, maybe even a detailed briefing, but I’m going to leave those details to the actual inquiries,” McGuinty said.
He said it is “very difficult” to determine whether training protocols around high Prairie winds should be changed until they have all the facts.
Maj.-Gen. Wade Rutland said Sunday that leaders in Wainwright were aware of a grass fire burning about a kilometre away from a training area.
He said sudden, strong prairie winds rapidly increased the fire’s intensity and it was “right on top of them” within 30 seconds to a minute.
Dr. Cheyanne Vetter, medical director of the Wainwright Health Centre, described the hospital's response to the mass casualty incident.
She said the military called the hospital on Saturday to inform staff, and within about five to 10 minutes, the first victims started to arrive.
“Immediately we realized that the extent of their injuries was quite extreme and quite severe,” she told CBC News.
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, which was turned into a functional emergency room for the night.
She said helicopters from STARS air ambulance arrived as soon as it was safe to do so, and medics from the military delivered critical clinical supplies.
“Everyone rose to the occasion, above and beyond my expectations,” Vetter said.
McGuinty thanked health-care workers for supporting the injured military members.
Prime Minister Carney told reporters Tuesday he spoke with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith about providing additional support for fire victims and their families.
Nosy Mag reported on Saturday that four Canadian Armed Forces members died and dozens were seriously injured in the incident.
With files from The Canadian Press, The Globe and Mail and CBC News