Yellowknife (Mar 22/06) - It only took one evening for the Yellowknife fire department to raise $11,000 toward a future memorial for fallen firefighters Lieut. Cyril Fyfe and Kevin Olson.

The fire department held a fundraiser Friday, following the one-year anniversary tribute to the men, who died fighting a shed fire March 17, 2005.

The event was held at the White Fox, which not only drew local firefighters but others visiting from Calgary - Olson's home town - and elsewhere across the country.

Staff members from Stanton Territorial Hospital were also invited, as well as Mayor Gord Van Tighem.

Craig Halifax, president of the International Association of Fire Fighters local 2890, said most of the money was raised through a silent auction. The hottest item was a specially airbrushed fire helmet depicting Fyfe and Olson on the sides plus the fire hall's logo, said Halifax.

He said last weekend's fundraising efforts were likely just the start.

"I know when the time comes, when we know what sort of memorial set-up we want, I suspect some of the business community would step up with donations," said Halifax.

"This was initially planned to be a one-time event, but there's been some discussion about the possibility of an annual event."

The plan is to locate a memorial site within the next year or two.

Halifax said favoured locations so far include outside the fire hall or along Veterans Memorial Drive in front of City Hall. It's now home to the cenotaph to honour war dead and a memorial to police officers who have died in the line of duty in the North.

"We've come up with some ideas and have actually sent it through an architect to get some conceptual drawings," said Halifax.

"We haven't 100 per cent figured out what we want to put up."