'Into the air': One victim of Calgary house explosion likely in hospital for 6 months

A member of Calgary's South Sudanese community says 10 victims of a home explosion were blown into the air before falling into a fiery basement below.
The Monday blast also damaged several other homes and sent part of the roof of the house that blew up into a yard across the street.
The injured were all adults and six had life-threatening injuries.
Neighbours rushed to help as many of the injured struggled to climb out of the basement to safety.
Deng Deng Tiordit, chairman of the Twic Community Association of Canada, told The Canadian Press that he has spoken to some of the victims, their families and medical officials.
"The doctor told me one man will be there for a minimum of six months ... he's the one who has a lot of burns and is sedated because he has a lot of pain. He will take longer than anyone," Tiordit said.
"The rest, they are thinking about three or four weeks."
Although the fire department hasn't released a cause of the explosion, it has said it could have been natural gas.
Tiordit said one of the victims was visiting from Brooks, Alta., because his son was in hospital awaiting surgery. Now the father is also in hospital.
"He has a broken back and a broken rib and a broken shoulder because he was up on the main floor. When the explosion happened, it threw him up in the air and he fell into the basement," Tiordit said.
"The explosion happened in the basement and the people on the main floor _ it threw them into the air. That's why one of them was hanging out the window and then he fell down again."
Firefighters attend the scene of a house explosion that injured several people, destroyed one home and damaged others in Calgary, Alta., Monday, March 27, 2023. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh)Aleer Deng, a relative and a friend to many of the victims, said three are in critical condition and the others are stable.He said they are all expected to survive.
"The doctors are doing their best to try and treat them."
The South Sudanese community has started a GoFundMe page and hopes to raise $50,000 to help the victims. It had fundraised $3,500 as of Thursday afternoon.
Gar Gar, a community advocate who set up the fundraising campaign, said community members are also hosting a clothing donation drive on Saturday at the Forest Lawn Community Association. Most of the victims lost everything in the blast and have no clothes, he said.
"Any time one of (the victims) or two get discharged, we are hoping to have some funds where we can help them get back to their feet. But the reality is the other ones who are still in critical condition _ to see how we can help them with different expenses," said Gar Gar.
"They're probably not going to go back to work right away, so we are hoping to help them with those expenses."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 27, 2023.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories

Alleged Montreal-area 'Chinese police stations' planning to sue RCMP for $2.5 million
Two Chinese community centres in the Montreal area are planning to launch a $2.5 million defamation lawsuit against the RCMP and the Attorney General of Canada after being accused by the police force of hosting 'alleged Chinese police stations.'
Lawyer in Ali murder trial says 13-year-old B.C. victim was not an 'innocent'
Ibrahim Ali's lawyer says the 13-year-old girl he's accused of murdering in a British Columbia park wasn't the “innocent” depicted in a “rose-coloured” portrayal by the Crown at trial.
'I cry all the time': Nova Scotia couple returns after 40 days in Gaza
It has been five days since Palestinian-Canadian couple, Khalil and Nabila Manna, returned from visiting relatives in Gaza, but while the couple planned to visit for a short-period of time, the Israel-Hamas conflict left them stranded for 40 days
With Canada set to reimpose cap on working hours, international students worry about paying for tuition, living expenses
Canada is set to reimpose the cap on the number of hours that international students can work off campus. But with heightened cost-of-living concerns in Canada, many international students say they're not sure how they'll be able to afford their tuition and living expenses if they can't work full-time.
Inmate stabbed Derek Chauvin 22 times, charged with attempted murder, prosecutors say
A federal inmate was charged Friday with attempted murder in the prison stabbing of Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer convicted of murdering George Floyd.
'Jumped over their heads': Kangaroo escapes Ontario zoo during overnight stay
The search for a kangaroo that escaped an Ontario zoo will resume on Saturday morning, according to staff and volunteers.
Mild, rainy winter expected as Canada warms at twice the global rate
Winter will be unusually warm and rainy across much of the country this year, according to the latest data from Environment and Climate Change Canada.
Here's how Air Canada's new baggage tracking app works
Air Canada is hoping to give its customers more confidence when travelling with checked luggage through a new baggage tracking feature.
Alleged victims speak out after a Waterloo, Ont. man posed as a CSIS agent and scammed women out of millions
Several women have come forward claiming they were victims of a romance scam by a Waterloo, Ont. man. Police believe he allegedly defrauded dozens of women out of more than $2 million over 15 years.