Six of the victims from the fireworks explosion in Salt Lake on New Year’s Eve were flown on Saturday to an Arizona burn center for further treatment.
Gov. Josh Green authorized the use of military transport, according to his office.
Under the Defense Support of Civilian Authorities framework, the U.S. military helped with ground and air transport for six burn victims. The coordinated effort included a traditional ambulance and a specialized ambulance bus, which transported patients from Queen’s Medical Center and Straub Benioff Medical Center to Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam. From there, the patients flew aboard a C-17 Globemaster III aircraft from Oahu to the Diane and Bruce Halle Arizona Burn Center — Valleywise Health for advanced care, according to Green.
The medical transport was supported by two Burn Flight Teams from the Brooke Army Medical Center Burn Unit in San Antonio, Texas, along with a Critical Care Air Transport Team. The CCATT effectively transforms any aircraft into a mobile intensive care unit, giving critically ill patients ICU-level care during their flight. The Burn Flight Teams, consisting of nurses, respiratory therapists, and physicians with expertise in burn treatment, worked with the CCATT to care for the patients as they traveled from Hawaii to Arizona.
On New Year’s Eve, a fireworks explosion at a home in Aliamanu (Salt Lake) killed three people and left at least 20 other people with critical injuries. Two female victims were found dead at the scene, and the third victim died later at a hospital.
The critically injured victims were transported from Aliamanu to Queen’s Medical Center on Punchbowl Street, Straub Benioff Medical Center, Kaiser Permanente Moanalua Medical Center, Kuakini Medical Center, Tripler Army Medical Center, Pali Momi Medical Center and Kapiolani Medical Center for Women and Children.
GoFundMe pages for Tom and Abbey, who were described as a couple and were both victims of the fireworks explosion, said the hospital where they were being treated was planning to send them to a burn facility in Arizona.
The GoFundMe page for Tom said he had burns on 62% of his body. "He has sustained severe injuries and burns beyond recognition. ... He is still in critical condition and has not woken up. It will require extensive medical care and a very long road to recovery," wrote Loan Dao, Tom's brother, on the GoFundMe page.
Dao also started the GoFundMe page for Abbey, which said she had burns on 67% of her body.
Michelle Broder Van Dyke covers the Hawaiian Islands for Spectrum News Hawaii. Email her at michelle.brodervandyke@charter.com.
Editor's note: This story has been updated with information from two GoFundMe pages and with information from Gov. Josh Green. (Jan. 6, 2025)