Iqaluit (Apr 21/03) - Firefighters spent more than six hours battling a blaze that destroyed an Iqaluit home Thursday.

Efforts were hampered by high winds, cold weather and bad road conditions.

Fire Chief Cory Chegwyn, who was on the scene with investigators Friday, said the fire is being treated as an accident.

Chegwyn said 40 km/h winds drove the fire through the two-storey house quickly. There was also a point where firefighters ran out of water.

"We only had 500 gallons of water to begin with and it took us a while to get the first tanker truck to come. It was through no fault of their own; the roads were really bad," he said.

Fire crews were also plagued with icy conditions as water being used to fight the blaze froze around the perimeter of the structure.

"It starts to get hard to drag tools and hoses around then. Guys were falling down," said Chegwyn.

A hill overlooking Tundra Valley, where the home is located, was dotted with spectators who came out to watch the nearly 20 firefighters go to work.

The spectators were kept well back by Iqaluit RCMP and city bylaw officers.

However, a small group of citizens did pitch in to help two firefighters drag a hose up the hill.

The cause of the fire is still being investigated.

Chegwyn said one of the residents of the home was inside when the blaze started and the other was at a neighbour's.

No one was injured in the fire, although it's believed the family's cat may have died in the home.

Damage is estimated at $450,000. The structure was gutted and all contents lost.

The homeowners declined to comment, saying they were still dealing with shock of the fire.