Fifth Canadian Soldier Dies After October Grenade-Launcher Range Fire

A fifth Canadian Armed Forces member has died from injuries sustained during a wind-driven grass fire that swept a grenade-launcher training range at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright, Alberta, on Oct. 17. Private William Douglas Dal Bianco passed away on Friday at a hospital in Ontario, where he had been treated since the incident, the military said.

The fire struck about 84 soldiers from the 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, who were conducting attack training when shifting winds pushed flames toward the troops. Twenty-four soldiers remain hospitalized.

Prime Minister Mark Carney posted on social media that the soldiers were "training to defend Canada" and called the incident "one of the worst peacetime tragedies for Canada's military on Canadian soil."

The fallen soldiers also include Private Shaun Farrell, 23, of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan; Private Aidan Goulding, 23, of North Vancouver, British Columbia; Private Hayden Lykkemark, 19, of Langley, British Columbia; and Sergeant Morgan Wong, 26, of Edmonton.

Military police are investigating the fire, and a separate board of inquiry will examine the circumstances and recommend preventive measures. Major General Wade Rutland said officials were aware of the fire for several hours, believed it contained, and allowed training to continue before the wind shift.

Carney told reporters last month that the government will seek answers "expeditiously and transparently."