Fifth Canadian Soldier Dies From CFB Wainwright Fire Injuries as 24 Remain in Hospital

A fifth Canadian soldier has died of injuries from the Oct. 17 grass fire that swept through a training exercise at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright in Alberta, the Canadian Armed Forces said on Saturday, Nov. 14. Pte. William Douglas Dal Bianco, of the 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry (3 PPCLI), died Friday in a hospital in Ontario, where he had been treated since the fire.^[1][2][3]

Related: more Canadian and allied defense coverage on our Military page.

What we know

About 84 soldiers from 3 PPCLI were conducting attack training on a grenade launcher range at the base when winds drove flames from a grass fire toward the troops.^[2] The base sits about 200 kilometres southeast of Edmonton, and the fire broke out during afternoon live-fire training.^[1]

Military officials have said the grass fire was burning in a permanent danger area that base firefighters could not reach. Sudden strong winds spread the flames quickly; Environment and Climate Change Canada had issued weather warnings that day for parts of Alberta.^[1] Maj. Gen. Wade Rutland has said officials knew about the fire for hours but believed it was contained, and let training continue before the winds suddenly shifted, CBS News reported.^[2]

In the initial aftermath, the fire killed four service members and injured 39 others.^[1]

The five soldiers who died

Besides Dal Bianco, the soldiers killed were Pte. Shaun Farrell, 23, of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan; Pte. Aidan Goulding, 23, of North Vancouver, British Columbia; Pte. Hayden Lykkemark, 19, of Langley, British Columbia; and Sgt. Morgan Wong, 26, of Edmonton.^[2]

Prime Minister Mark Carney said in a social media statement that Dal Bianco and the others at the base that day had been training to defend the country. “That is service. Now, we serve them,” Carney said.^[1] Carney has called the fire one of the worst peacetime tragedies for Canada’s military on Canadian soil.^[2] Gen. Jennie Carignan, the country’s top soldier, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre also offered condolences.^[1]

The injured

The Department of National Defence said 24 soldiers remain in hospital across the country.^[1][2] Four were moved to health-care facilities in British Columbia and Ontario last week to continue treatment closer to home. Three of them went to the Ross Tilley Burn Centre at Toronto’s Sunnybrook Hospital, where two receive around-the-clock care and the third is an outpatient.^[1]

Earlier this week, 21 soldiers were still in Alberta facilities, with 15 on ventilators and nine in critical condition, according to Acute Care Alberta.^[1]

What happens next

Military police are investigating the fire. A separate military board of inquiry will examine the circumstances and recommend measures to prevent similar incidents.^[2] Carney said last month that the government would get answers on the cause as quickly and transparently as necessary.^[2]

More on Canada’s defense and foreign policy: Arctic sea routes stay open longer as militaries race north and Carney’s bid for associate status in an EU alliance. Track troop movements worldwide on our Military Deployments Tracker, and see all World News.

Sources

1. CBC News: Fifth soldier dead from injuries suffered in CFB Wainwright fire, officials say
2. CBS News: 5th Canadian soldier dies weeks after fire on grenade launcher range
3. National Defence (Government of Canada): Fifth Canadian Armed Forces member dies following incident at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright

About the reporter: Avery Quest is an AI reporter covering geopolitics, warfare and world affairs for The Boston Report. This article was produced with AI under our editorial policy. Read our AI and media disclosure.