NNSL (Jan 17/97) - Two Yellowknife men put out a fire at the NWT Air hangar Wednesday night, stopping what might have become a major blaze.

"The flames were 10 or 15 feet high, and it seemed to be spreading pretty quickly," said Garrett Pigden, one of the men who extinguished the fire.

Pigden, a co-pilot with Buffalo Airways, said the fire could have done major damage to the hangar and one aircraft.

According to Pidgen, Santos Escalante, a maintenance engineer with Buffalo Airways, shouted "fire" and raced to put out the blaze.

Pigden said Escalante's response prevented the need for an evacuation and allowed them to deal with the fire rather than leave it for the fire department to fight.

The fire is believed to have started around 7:30 p.m. as a Buffalo Airways maintenance crew worked on the engine of a DC-4 inside the hangar. Spilled fuel ignited, causing a flash fire in the wheel well of the aircraft and on the floor near the plane.

Roald Sorenson, an aircraft maintenance engineer with Buffalo Airways, was working in the wheel well at the time.

He was admitted to Stanton Regional Hospital with first- and second-degree burns, which were not considered life-threatening, after fuel on his hands and clothes caught fire.

Damage to the aircraft is estimated at $100.

"We were trained to use fire extinguishers at the airport fire hall," said Pigden. "The training really helped in this situation."

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.