Fifth Canadian soldier dies after fire at military training base

A fifth Canadian soldier has died from injuries suffered when a wind-driven grass fire swept through a training area at a military base in Alberta last month, the Canadian Armed Forces said Saturday.

Pvt. William Douglas Dal Bianco died Friday at a hospital in Ontario, where he had been treated since the Oct. 17 fire at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright. Twenty-four military personnel remained hospitalized Saturday, while 14 had been released, the military said. Thirty-eight personnel were injured in all.

About 84 soldiers from the 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, were conducting attack training when winds pushed the fire toward them, CBS News reported. The BBC reported that members of 1 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group were conducting live-fire training at the base. Four soldiers were killed in the fire, and Dal Bianco’s death raises the toll to five.

The other soldiers who died were Pvt. Shaun Farrell, 23, of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan; Pvt. Aidan Goulding, 23, of North Vancouver, British Columbia; Pvt. Hayden Lykkemark, 19, of Langley, British Columbia; and Sgt. Morgan Wong, 26, of Edmonton.

Officials said the fire spread across a kilometre in a matter of seconds, taking many at the base by surprise, according to the BBC. Firefighters battled it through the night as nearby hospitals received injured personnel. The BBC reported that firefighters on the base had known about the fire but could not tackle it because it was in a danger area that could contain unspent explosives.

Maj. Gen. Wade Rutland said military officials had known about the fire for hours but believed it was contained, so training continued before the winds suddenly shifted. An investigation found the fire was likely sparked by a grenade launcher fired on the base’s grenade range, officials said, according to the BBC.

Military police are investigating the fire, and a separate military board of inquiry will examine what happened and recommend measures to prevent similar incidents.

Prime Minister Mark Carney has called the fire one of the worst peacetime tragedies for Canada’s military on Canadian soil. “We will get the answers to what caused this terrible tragedy, as expeditiously and transparently as necessary,” he told reporters last month.

After Dal Bianco’s death, Carney wrote on social media: “Private Dal Bianco and his fellow soldiers were training to defend Canada. With their bright futures still before them, they chose to safeguard ours. That is service.” He also said Canadians were holding Dal Bianco’s loved ones and others grieving the tragedy in their hearts.

Chief of the Defence Staff Gen. Jennie Carignan said the armed forces were “heartbroken” by Dal Bianco’s death. Defence Minister David McGuinty offered his “deepest condolences” to Dal Bianco’s family, friends and colleagues and said the military remained committed to supporting those affected.