On a windy autumn afternoon at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright in Alberta, a grass fire turned on a group of young soldiers training in attack drills, and the consequences have unfolded slowly ever since. A fifth soldier, Pvt. William Douglas Dal Bianco, has now died in an Ontario hospital, and the nation is left counting losses that began in a single field. Two inquiries will attempt to explain how wind and flame met a training line, and what might keep such a meeting from happening again.
Fifth Canadian Soldier Dies From Injuries in Wainwright Training Fire
Five soldiers have died and 24 remain hospitalized after a wind-driven grass fire swept through a military training exercise.
Five dead, 24 still in hospital, and two investigations
Mark
Five soldiers dead from one training exercise. How big was the group on the field?
Mimi
About 84 soldiers from the 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry. They were doing attack training at CFB Wainwright when wind pushed a grass fire toward them.
Mark
And Dal Bianco died more than three weeks after the fire.
Mimi
Yes. He died Friday at a hospital in Ontario, having been treated there since Oct. 17. The military announced it Saturday.
Luke
Worth noting that 24 are still hospitalized. The reporting doesn't say how seriously they're hurt, so I wouldn't guess whether the toll will grow.
Mark
Who were the others who died?
Mimi
Pvt. Shaun Farrell, 23, Pvt. Aidan Goulding, 23, Pvt. Hayden Lykkemark, 19, and Sgt. Morgan Wong, 26. They came from Saskatchewan, British Columbia and Edmonton.
Mark
What about the cause?
Luke
That's unknown in what we have. We know it was a wind-driven grass fire. We don't know how it started or what, if anything, went wrong. Military police and a board of inquiry are looking at it, and no timeline has been given.
Mark
Why two investigations?
Mimi
Military police investigate the fire itself. The board of inquiry examines the wider circumstances and recommends ways to prevent a repeat.
Luke
And Carney's description of it as one of the worst peacetime tragedies for the military on Canadian soil is his characterization, not a figure from the investigation.
The Pulse
- A wind-driven grass fire swept across a field where about 84 soldiers were rehearsing attack maneuvers, and the training ground became a place of sudden danger.
- Five soldiers are now dead, and the death toll has climbed steadily in the weeks since the fire on October 17.
- Twenty-four soldiers remain in hospital, and families and comrades wait on each update with growing dread.
- Military police and a separate board of inquiry are working to establish what happened and why, with no finish date or cause yet confirmed.
- The Prime Minister has called the fire one of the worst peacetime tragedies for Canada's military on home soil, and the answers now sought will shape what follows.
On a windy autumn afternoon at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright in Alberta, a grass fire turned on a group of young soldiers training in attack drills, and the consequences have unfolded slowly ever since. A fifth soldier, Pvt. William Douglas Dal Bianco, has now died in an Ontario hospital, and the nation is left counting losses that began in a single field. Two inquiries will attempt to explain how wind and flame met a training line, and what might keep such a meeting from happening again.
A fifth Canadian soldier has died from injuries sustained in the grass fire that tore through a training exercise at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright, southeast of Edmonton. The Canadian Armed Forces announced on Saturday that Pvt. William Douglas Dal Bianco died on Friday at a hospital in Ontario, where he had been treated since October 17.
The fire struck while about 84 soldiers from the 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, were conducting attack training. Wind pushed the flames toward them, and more than three weeks later the toll is still rising. Twenty-four soldiers remain in hospital.
The four soldiers who died earlier have been named: Pvt. Shaun Farrell, 23, of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan; Pvt. Aidan Goulding, 23, of North Vancouver; Pvt. Hayden Lykkemark, 19, of Langley, British Columbia; and Sgt. Morgan Wong, 26, of Edmonton.
Prime Minister Mark Carney wrote that the soldiers trained to defend Canada and, with bright futures ahead, chose to protect the country's. "That is service," he said.
Military police are investigating the fire, and a board of inquiry will examine the circumstances and recommend preventive measures. Reporting so far has not said what ignited the grass or when either inquiry will conclude.
A fifth Canadian soldier has died of injuries from the grass fire that tore through a military training exercise at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright in Alberta. The Canadian Armed Forces announced the death on Saturday. Pvt. William Douglas Dal Bianco died Friday at a hospital in Ontario, where he had been receiving treatment since the fire broke out on Oct. 17.
The fire struck during attack training at the base, which lies southeast of Edmonton. About 84 soldiers from the 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, were taking part in the exercise when wind pushed flames from a grass fire toward them.
More than three weeks later, the toll is still rising. The military said on Saturday that 24 soldiers remain hospitalized. Dal Bianco's death brings the number of dead to five, out of a group of roughly 84 troops on the training field that day.
The other four soldiers who died have been named. Pvt. Shaun Farrell, 23, was from Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. Pvt. Aidan Goulding, also 23, was from North Vancouver, British Columbia. Pvt. Hayden Lykkemark, 19, was from Langley, British Columbia. Sgt. Morgan Wong, 26, was from Edmonton.
Prime Minister Mark Carney responded to Dal Bianco's death in a social media post. He wrote that Dal Bianco and his fellow soldiers were training to defend Canada, and that with their bright futures still before them, they chose to safeguard the country's. "That is service," Carney said. He has previously described the fire as one of the worst peacetime tragedies for Canada's military on Canadian soil.
Two inquiries are under way. Military police are investigating the fire itself. Separately, a military board of inquiry will examine the circumstances of the tragedy and recommend measures to prevent similar incidents. The reporting so far does not say what ignited the grass fire or when either inquiry is expected to finish.
For now, the numbers are the clearest measure of what happened: five dead, 24 still in hospital, and two investigations that will determine what changes follow.
Notable Quotes
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.— Prime Minister Mark Carney, social media post
Want the full story?
Read the original at U.S. News & World Report ↗