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5th Canadian soldier dies weeks after fire on grenade launcher range
CBS News • • general
Key Points:
- A fifth Canadian soldier, Pvt. William Douglas Dal Bianco, has died from injuries sustained in a wind-driven grass fire during a military training exercise at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright, Alberta.
- The fire occurred on October 17 while about 84 soldiers from the 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, were conducting attack training on a grenade launcher range.
- Twenty-four soldiers remain hospitalized following the incident, which Prime Minister Mark Carney described as one of the worst peacetime tragedies for Canada's military on Canadian soil.
- Military police are investigating the cause of the fire, and a separate military board of inquiry will review the circumstances and recommend preventive measures.
- Officials were aware of the fire hours before but believed it was contained; however, a sudden wind shift caused the flames to spread rapidly toward the troops.
