by Jeff Colbourne
Northern News Services

NNSL (May 04/98) - In the last few years the community of Fort McPherson has seen its share of fire, not set by children but by young arsonists calculating the destruction of property.

Chief Julius school was intentionally set ablaze and burned to the ground in January 1997, sending children into portable classrooms, which were also destroyed by fire only a year later.

The fires caused about $8 million in damage to the buildings, equipment and merchandise. Several youth were charged and prosecuted in connection to the fire.

Then, earlier last month, The Tetlit Co-op store burned to the ground. RCMP and the fire marshal's office have launched an investigation into the $1.2-million fire which has been labelled suspicious.

Since the fires, Sgt. Bob Gray with the Fort McPherson RCMP has been trying to come up with programs to make young people aware of just how dangerous fire is and the damage it can cause.

He admits, however, that there have been stumbling blocks. The community is not aggressive in taking ownership of the obvious problem, he said.

"I think everything starts with the community and it's not just one group in the community that's going to step forward and look after changing," said Gray.

"I suppose once the community decides that 'yes, we've got a real problem' maybe they'll do something."

The perhaps apathetic nature of the community is reflected in the dismissal of the community's fire chief, Duane Debastian.

"The community decided they no longer require his services," said Gray. Anytime something happens everybody blames everybody else but themselves. That's what's happening here," said Gray.

"Nobody is willing to accept responsibility and until they do accept responsibility places will keep burning down. I'm 100 per cent behind the chief. I think he did a helluva job. He tried to save it. He's very helpful in the community and with ourselves.

"But, I mean we had a fire alarm after this one went off and there was four people who showed up. One was the fire chief and three were my members."

The last fire awareness program the RCMP did in the community was through the fire marshal's office from Inuvik last fall at the school. Gray said they are planning to set something up with a parent of the accused firesetter who is concerned about the arson problem.