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Fifth Canadian soldier dies from injuries caused by large fire at military base

By · Published by Everything Blog

In short

The incident took place on 17 October while members of the 1 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group were engaged in live-fire maneuvers. Strong winds rapidly pushed the flames across an entire kilometre in mere seconds, complicating early response efforts. Initial containment was hindered because the fire began in a hazardous zone suspected of holding unexploded ordnance. Out of the 38 personnel injured in the disaster, 24 remain hospitalized while 14 have been discharged.

Key points

  • The total death toll from the Canadian Forces Base Wainwright training disaster has reach…: The total death toll from the Canadian Forces Base Wainwright training disaster has reached five personnel.
  • Emergency response was severely impeded after heavy winds swept the flames across a kilom…: Emergency response was severely impeded after heavy winds swept the flames across a kilometre within seconds.
  • Prime Minister Mark Carney described the fatal incident as one of the worst peacetime tra…: Prime Minister Mark Carney described the fatal incident as one of the worst peacetime tragedies on domestic soil.

Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1

- Published

A fifth Canadian soldier has died from injuries he suffered when a grass fire swept through a military training area last month.

Four people were killed initially and dozens were injured when the fire, which ignited during a live fire training exercise, spread rapidly through Canadian Forces Base Wainwright carried by strong winds on 17 October.

Pte William Douglas Dal Bianco, who had been receiving medical care in Ontario, died on Friday, the Canadian Armed Forces said in a statement.

Prime Minister Mark Carney wrote on X: "Canadians are holding Private Dal Bianco's loved ones, and all those still grieving in the wake of this terrible tragedy, in our hearts."

The Canadian Armed Forces said that 24 military personnel were still in hospital receiving treatment, while 14 had been released as of Saturday. Thirty-eight military personnel had been injured in total.

Members of 1 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group had been conducting live-fire training at the base, in the province of Alberta, when the fire broke out.

Military officials said at the time that the fire spread across a…

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