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
BREAKING Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
BREAKING New York appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction from landmark #MeToo trial
New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, finding the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.
Residents of northern Alberta First Nation told to shelter in place
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: jobs report
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
First in Canada procedure performed at London, Ont. hospital
A London man has become the first person in Canada to receive a robotic assisted surgery on his spine. Dave Myeh suffered from debilitating, chronic back pain that led to sciatica in his right now and extreme pain in his lower back.
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.