Doug Ashbury
Northern News Services

NNSL (Jul 22/98) - Bruno Jaurnell, owner of Sandy Point Lodge, says forest fires have probably extinguished his business.

Though he does not know the fate of his lodge on Gordon Lake, he knows tourists will not come to see the burned out shoreline.

"I'm ruined. Nobody's going to pay to look at moonscape."

Monday, Jaurnell was on his way to Edmonton. Fire forced Jaurnell and his wife, who suffers from asthma, to evacuate their lodge, located about 90 miles northeast of Yellowknife, Saturday.

"It was getting too close for comfort," he said. "We could see the flames."

In all, 10 people were flown out, five on Friday and five on Saturday.

"They (Air Tindi) did a hell of a job getting us out."

As well as a main building, Sandy Point includes three guest cabins, a log cabin and a generator building.

Jaurnell estimated that if everything is lost it could cost as much as $500,000 to replace.

He said the property is insured. But you can't insure the forest.

On bookings, so far 20 people have cancelled trips out to the lodge because of the fire.

Jaurnell said he has 100 other people who have to confirm bookings. "I have to contact them and put them on alert."

This is the second year in a row fires have burned forest in the vicinity of Sandy Point Lodge. Last year, the west shore of the lake was scorched by fire.

Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development's fire management division said Monday that three cabins on Tibbitt Lake were destroyed by fire.

The conditions of 10 other cabins on Tibbitt are unknown.

Yellowknife is not in any immediate danger, the GNWT said Monday. Nor are Prelude and Pontoon lakes.

Fire crews are making progress on the Discovery Lake fire, about 45 kilometres north of Yellowknife. The Mon gold mine, not in operation this summer, is near Discovery Lake.

As of Monday, 299 fires have burned 736,950 hectares in the NWT.