A fifth Canadian soldier, Pvt. William Douglas Dal Bianco, died Friday at an Ontario hospital from injuries sustained in an October 17 wind-driven grass fire during training at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright, southeast of Edmonton, the military said Saturday.
About 84 soldiers from the 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, were conducting attack training when winds pushed flames toward them. Currently, 24 soldiers remain hospitalized.
"Private Dal Bianco and his fellow soldiers were training to defend Canada," Prime Minister Mark Carney posted on social media. "With their bright futures still before them, they chose to safeguard ours. That is service." Carney called the fire one of the worst peacetime tragedies for Canada's military on Canadian soil.
The other deceased soldiers 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.
Military police are investigating the fire, while a board of inquiry will examine the circumstances to recommend prevention measures.