On an Alberta training range, a wind that no one could command turned a grass fire into a trap for young soldiers, and the loss has now reached five lives. Private William Douglas Dal Bianco died Friday in an Ontario hospital, weeks after the flames swept across a exercise at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright on October 17. It is the kind of event that asks the nation to hold two truths at once: the willingness of the young to train for its defense, and the fragility of their bodies before fire and weather. Military police and a board of inquiry now seek to understand what went wrong, so that th
Fifth Canadian Soldier Dies From Injuries in Wind-Driven Training Fire at CFB Wainwright
Five Canadian soldiers have died and 24 remain hospitalized after the training fire swept through troops.
Five soldiers dead, 24 still in hospital, and the cause yet to be established
Mark
Five soldiers are dead from one training exercise. What's the basic picture?
Mimi
On Oct. 17 at CFB Wainwright, wind pushed a grass fire toward about 84 soldiers from the 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, who were doing attack training. Dal Bianco, the fifth to die, passed away Friday in an Ontario hospital.
Mark
Who were the others?
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.
Luke
Worth saying what we don't know. How did the fire start, and how were the soldiers caught by it? The reporting doesn't say.
Mimi
Right. That's what the two inquiries are for. Military police are investigating the fire, and a separate board of inquiry will look at the circumstances and recommend prevention measures.
Mark
And the injured?
Mimi
Twenty-four remain hospitalized. That's the military's number as of Saturday.
Luke
But we have no breakdown of their conditions. So we can't say how many are critical, and I wouldn't guess whether the death toll will rise.
Mark
What did the prime minister say?
Mimi
Mark Carney said the soldiers were training to defend Canada and, in his words, chose to safeguard the country's future. That is service.
Luke
That's a statement of tribute, not a finding. Any conclusion about cause or responsibility has to wait for the inquiries.
El Pulso
- A grass fire, pushed by wind, raced toward roughly 84 soldiers mid-attack training at CFB Wainwright.
- Five soldiers are now dead, and the latest death came from a hospital in Ontario weeks after the blaze.
- Twenty-four soldiers remain hospitalized, and the military has not said how serious their injuries are.
- Military police are probing the fire itself while a separate board of inquiry examines the circumstances.
- Prime Minister Mark Carney has publicly honored the fallen, and the answers about prevention are still to come.
On an Alberta training range, a wind that no one could command turned a grass fire into a trap for young soldiers, and the loss has now reached five lives. Private William Douglas Dal Bianco died Friday in an Ontario hospital, weeks after the flames swept across a exercise at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright on October 17. It is the kind of event that asks the nation to hold two truths at once: the willingness of the young to train for its defense, and the fragility of their bodies before fire and weather. Military police and a board of inquiry now seek to understand what went wrong, so that the next group of recruits may return home.
A fifth Canadian soldier has died from injuries sustained in a grass fire that swept through a training exercise at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright in Alberta, the Canadian Armed Forces announced Saturday. Private William Douglas Dal Bianco died Friday at a hospital in Ontario, where he had been treated since the fire on October 17.
The fire broke out while about 84 soldiers of the 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, were conducting attack training. Wind drove the flames toward the troops. The military has not released further detail on how the fire started or how the soldiers were caught by it.
Twenty-four soldiers remain in hospital, and the military has not said how seriously they are hurt. Prime Minister Mark Carney honored Dal Bianco in a social media post, writing that the soldiers were training to defend Canada and that their service was a gift to the nation.
Four soldiers died earlier: Privates Shaun Farrell, Aidan Goulding and Hayden Lykkemark, and Sergeant Morgan Wong. Two inquiries are now under way, one by military police into the fire and one by a board of inquiry into the circumstances and prevention. With 24 still hospitalized, the toll may yet change.
A fifth Canadian soldier has died of injuries from the grass fire that swept through a training exercise at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright in Alberta, the Canadian Armed Forces announced Saturday. Pvt. William Douglas Dal Bianco died Friday at a hospital in Ontario, where he had been treated since the fire on Oct. 17.
The fire broke out while about 84 soldiers from the 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, were doing attack training at the base, which lies southeast of Edmonton. Wind drove flames from a grass fire toward the troops. The military's account, as relayed by The Associated Press, gives no further detail on how the fire started or how the soldiers were caught by it.
The military said Saturday that 24 soldiers remain in the hospital. It did not say in the information released how seriously they are hurt.
Prime Minister Mark Carney responded to Dal Bianco's death in a social media post. "Private Dal Bianco and his fellow soldiers were training to defend Canada," he wrote. "With their bright futures still before them, they chose to safeguard ours. That is service."
Four other soldiers died earlier. Pvt. Shaun Farrell, 23, was from Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. Pvt. Aidan Goulding, 23, was from North Vancouver, British Columbia. Pvt. Hayden Lykkemark, 19, was from Langley, British Columbia. Sgt. Morgan Wong, 26, was from Edmonton. The reporting did not give Dal Bianco's age or hometown.
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.
With 24 soldiers still hospitalized, the toll could change, and the findings of the police investigation and the board of inquiry are still to come.
Citas Notables
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
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