Mayor Peter Clarkson said the town plans on "doing something special" for the 16 firefighters who worked through the night Jan. 20 to ensure all was well during a town-wide blackout.

The entire town was out of power for more than an hour Jan. 20, when a communication fault with one of the NWT Power Corporation's natural gas-fired generators knocked Inuvik's power plant out of commission.

Most residents got their power back after an hour, but some were still huddling in the dark until 4 a.m.

Inuvik firefighters were kept on their feet all through the night.

"We had one fire and multiple alarms," said fire chief Al German.

The fire broke out at the Midnight Sun Recreation Centre just before 10:30 p.m. Jan. 20. German said the control panel for the turbines caught fire when the transformer overheated.

German said there was quite a bit of damage to the control panel.

But the cost will be absorbed by the Power Corporation, according to the mayor, since it was their equipment.

The fire was out in a few minutes, but the Rec Centre was filled with smoke. It was closed until Wednesday.

Then the firefighters were kept on their feet as almost every alarm system in town set off because of the power outage. The fire department had to turn them all off and re-set them.

After that was done, German said the basic Emergency Measures Operational Plan was put into effect in preparation for an all-night blackout.

"We were going door-to-door, checking on the elders, letting the residents know that the fire hall was warm and they could come in if they wanted to," said German.

A few women and children took them up on their offers, but returned home a short time later.

The Inuvik RCMP played a minimal role during the blackout, said Staff Sgt. Mark Wharton.

Just after the power went out officers witnessed a transformer blow, said Wharton, and immediately informed the Power Corporation.

The following day several residents, businesses and government departments were still losing and regaining their power throughout the day as power crews worked to rectify the situation.

Northmart closed for two days and lost several thousands of dollars because of damage inflicted to its heating system. Sir Alexander Mackenzie School closed the afternoon of Jan. 24 because there was no heat.

Clarkson said the efforts of the firefighters were "very much appreciated."

"We're going to give them some recognition for all the extra time they put in," he said.

German had a suggestion for the mayor.

"Maybe they will give us a raise," he hinted.

Clarkson said the town has to take another look at its Emergency Measures Plan to decide if any changes need to be made.

"We want to ensure that we've got good communications and that everyone is taken care of if it happens again," he said.