Fifth Canadian Soldier Dies After Training Ground Fire

Dal Bianco died on November 13 at an Ontario hospital, where he had been treated since the fire swept through troops during training. About 84 soldiers from the 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, were conducting an attack exercise when wind drove flames across their position. The fire occurred on a grenade launcher range southeast of Edmonton.

The four other fatalities were 23-year-old Private Shaun Farrell, whose hometown was Prince Albert in Saskatchewan; 23-year-old Private Aidan Goulding, from North Vancouver in British Columbia; 19-year-old Private Hayden Lykkemark, who lived in Langley, British Columbia; and 26-year-old Sergeant Morgan Wong, an Edmonton resident.

Maj. Gen. Wade Rutland said military officials had known about the fire for hours, believed it was contained and permitted training to continue before the wind shifted. Military police are investigating, and another military inquiry panel will review the events and recommend steps to prevent a repeat. Prime Minister Mark Carney described the fire as one of Canada’s worst peacetime military tragedies on home soil and pledged an expeditious, transparent search for answers.