Injury count rises to 22 after explosion at B.C. military base
An explosion at Canadian Forces Base Comox on Vancouver Island, injured a total of 22 people, according to the Department of National Defence.
Sixteen military members and six civilians were injured on Thursday after an explosion took place at a barracks building that was undergoing renovations.
Everyone has been treated and released from hospital Friday, except for one military member, according to Col. Bryn Elliott, wing commander at 19 Wing Comox.
Elliot says the individual is receiving surgery for a laceration to his leg on Friday.
The explosion site is seen on Nov. 19, 2021: (CTV News)
Although the building was being renovated, the DND says it was being used for accommodations at the time of the blast.
Elliot says 59 people were housed in the building, though not everyone was inside of the building at the time of the blast.
The wing commander says an urban search and rescue team from Esquimalt, B.C. arrived at the site Thursday.
"They’ve been searching all night long using acoustic and infrared technologies in order to see if there’s absolutely anybody in there," Elliot told CTV News.
"At this point, all military, civilian and contractors who were known to be on the Wing have been accounted for," he said. "We are not missing anybody."
Still, Elliot says the search team is combing through every piece of the building "just to make sure we didn’t miss anything."
Emergency crews are on scene near where a building that was under renovations appears to have partially collapsed. (CTV News)
The incident is under investigation by federal and provincial officials, as well as the military.
"It’s a suspected natural gas leak but I’m not an investigator," said Elliot.
The wing commander added he was grateful for the work that's been done so far.
"I want to thank all the agencies and personnel who reached out to the Wing offering help," he said. "I really appreciate it."
"To the 19 Wing team, I am so extremely proud to be part of this team and to be the commander," he said.
The base says the explosion did not affect any aircraft or impact its air operations.
Earlier this week, teams from 19 Wing Comox helped evacuate hundreds of people from mudslides in British Columbia.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.