Family of injured Wainwright soldier holds bedside vigil in burn unit

The mother of a soldier fighting to recover from severe burns he sustained in last month's CFB Wainwright fire says she worries not only about his physical injuries, but also his mental health.

Pte. Liam Ramage, 27, of Red Deer, Alta., was one of dozens of service members hurt in an out-of-control grass fire on the central Alberta military base on Oct. 17. Four died.

Roughly 40 per cent of Liam’s body was affected, mostly third- and fourth-degree burns, mainly to his face, neck and throat, according to his mother Cheryl Ramage.

“Some to his arms, really bad to his hands, the upper and the palms," she told CBC News in an interview this week. "Some of his legs, … some to his back and some to the top of his feet.

"They’re doing skin grafts to the majority. His eyelids even have skin grafts on them, so he can’t open his eyes.”

Marisa Ramage, left, the wife of Pte. Liam Ramage, and Cheryl Ramage, right, Liam's mother say they are taking it day by day, knowing his recovery could take years. (Kory Siegers/CBC)

Cheryl, and Liam’s wife Marisa, have been constants at his bedside at the University of Alberta Hospital in Edmonton. He can barely move, speak or see.

“Being locked in your own mind is a form of torture right?” said Cheryl, who’s a nurse. “His mental health is going to have to be addressed right away.”

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She describes the days since the fire as devastating.

Being a nurse can sometimes help her compartmentalize her feelings, but it doesn’t shield her from them, Cheryl said.

“I can kind of turn clinical. When I go into his room, especially if I’m with somebody else, I can be like, ‘This is what this line’s doing and that’s what this dressing is for.’ I can kind of remove myself from it, if that makes sense — I can just talk about the injuries, not looking at it like it’s my son. But if I’m there by myself or go home by myself, I’m a disaster."

‘Identified him by his toes’

Marisa said she first learned something might be wrong in a text from her father alerting her to the situation in Wainwright on the day of the fire. The last time she had heard from Liam was a text earlier in the day. 

Cheryl’s other son Rowan, who was also training at CFB Wainwright, texted his mother to let her know he was OK. But she did not hear back from Liam. She went to Liam and Marisa’s house in Edmonton to wait for word.

Hours later, at around 3 a.m. local time the next day, warrant officers knocked on the door and gave them the terrible news — “a mother’s worst nightmare,” Cheryl said. 

A photo of Marisa (left) and Liam (right) on March 31, 2024. Liam joined the military in March 2024 and went to basic training the following month. (Supplied by Marisa Ramage)

“I don’t think I stopped shaking for the entire amount of time that they were there,” Marisa said.

The pair rushed to the hospital.

“We couldn’t recognize his face,” Cheryl said. “He was completely covered in dressings and so swollen. He was not recognizable. We identified him by his toes.”

‘It’s so unpredictable’

Liam is fighting pneumonia. He has had three surgeries and three strokes, which paralyzed the left side of his body, though he’s showing some toe, hip and leg movement. He has necrosis — the death of body tissue — on several fingers, his ears and nose.

He can now breathe on his own, though he is placed on a ventilator at night to give his lungs a break. Thanks to a special device, he has been able to speak a few words in recent days.

“He mouthed my name when I was in there with my dad and that was shocking for me,” Marisa said. “I did have a really good cry after.”

Marisa and Liam started dating in 2020 and married in 2023. (Supplied by Marisa Ramage)

Both women say it’s hard to imagine what life will look like for Liam, an outgoing, active man who loves music, cooking and playing hockey.

“It is so unpredictable,” Cheryl said. “He’s got a stroke — is he going to be able to walk again? He’s got skin grafts — does he have to learn how to walk again? Is he going to lose his fingers?

“We really try to take it day to day. … We do know it’s going to be months and months and months — if not years — of recovery. But what that recovery looks like? We just can’t tell at this point.”

She worries about Liam's mental health; the deadly fire still haunts him.

“He does say he remembers it," Cheryl said. "He does say that he thinks about it.

"I can’t imagine the torture of going through that, not being able to open your eyes or move or talk.”

A radio has been placed by Liam’s bedside to distract him, playing classic rock and NHL games with his favourite team, the Montreal Canadiens.

“A lot of us talking to him is reminding him that he’s safe and he’s at the hospital ... and that he is OK,” Marisa said.

Military career

The military was always a passion for her son, Cheryl said.

“Liam tried a few other things first, but the military was always what he wanted to do.”

A sign for Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Wainwright, on Oct. 18, 2026, the day after a serious incident that resulted in a fire caused deaths and injuries. (Jennifer Gauthier/Reuters)

He enlisted in March 2024 and completed a tour in Latvia. He was training in Wainwright to prepare for a second Latvia tour.

As a military mother, Cheryl said she knows the risks that soldiers face but never expected something like this.

“I never dreamt something would be two hours from home.”

Military, community support

Both women said the support from family, friends and the wider community has given them strength.

Their priority now is Liam and his recovery, not the fire or the military’s response. Three investigations are underway.

“That was a freak accident,” Marisa said. “They couldn’t have predicted that that would happen. And the military has been supportive of everything.

"We’ll have questions later but we are definitely focused on Liam.”

“Nothing [about] what started the fire will change where we’re at,” Cheryl said. “I have no interest in that at this moment. … They don’t stop war because it’s windy or anything like that. They have to prepare in all conditions.

“Do I place blame? Am I angry right now? No. I wish it wouldn’t have happened.”

Marisa and Cheryl say this Remembrance Day has new meaning for them.

“Hold your family a little closer,” said Marisa. “You never know what could happen. Honestly. Hold them close.”

“I didn’t hope that this would happen to my son,” said Cheryl. “I wish it hadn’t. But I’m proud for him.”