More than 20 Canadian soldiers remain hospitalized after a fire broke out during a live-fire exercise at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright in Alberta that killed four military personnel and injured nearly 40 others last month.
An update provided Monday by medical officials said 21 officers were still receiving treatment, nine of whom were in critical condition.
Twelve other soldiers were upgraded to stable condition since the previous update on Thursday.
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Dr. Sayeh Zielke, the interim head of Acute Care Alberta, told Global News that the hospitalized soldiers remained “gravely ill.”
Health documents obtained by the outlet said four patients have burns covering 51% to 60% of their bodies, while three have burns covering 41% to 50% and seven have burns covering 30% to 40%.
The rest of the patients have burns covering less than 30% of their bodies, the document said.
Medical professionals have been flown into the hospital to help with staff who have been swamped with helping the victims since the fire ignited Oct. 17.
Media reports said the blaze started when a munition during a live-fire training exercise caught fire on grass. Maj.-Gen. Wade Rutland said at the time that the fire traveled more than half a mile in less than a minute due to strong winds.
Four soldiers were killed — Pvt. Shaun Farrell, Pvt. Aidan Goulding, Pvt. Hayden Lykkemark and Sgt. Morgan Wong.
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