5th Canadian soldier dies weeks after fire on grenade launcher range

The Canadian Armed Forces said Saturday that Pte. William Douglas Dal Bianco died Friday in Ontario, where he was receiving care after the Oct. 17 blaze at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright, southeast of Edmonton. The military confirmed the death in a statement, bringing the toll to five. Prime Minister Mark Carney, who has called the fire one of the worst tragedies for the Armed Forces on home soil during peacetime, said he is thinking about the Dal Bianco family. "Private Dal Bianco and his fellow soldiers were training to defend Canada," Carney said in a social media post. CBC reported that officials confirmed the fifth soldier's death on Saturday. NBC News also reported the fifth death, citing the military training fire. The fire occurred on a grenade launcher range at the base. Earlier coverage noted that four soldiers had died previously from injuries sustained in the same incident. The Fort Saskatchewan Legion donated $100,000 from its Poppy Fund to victims of the CFB Wainwright fire, the Edmonton Journal reported. Remembrance Day ceremonies across Alberta, including in Lacombe and Red Deer, drew large crowds on the same day the fifth death was announced, according to the Lacombe Express and Red Deer Advocate.