IQALUIT - Iqalummiut who want to order poutine at 3 a.m. are officially out of luck.

The Snack - the only 24-hour business in Iqaluit - caught fire on Jan. 24 and burned to the ground.

Known for its heart-shaped logo, the Snack was completely gutted by the fire.

Firefighters received the call at 11:30 p.m., according to fire Chief Greg Jewers.

"We arrived on the scene at 11:37, a seven minute response time, which is our average," Jewers said.

Firefighters stayed on the scene until 4:30 p.m. the next day, contrary to some local media reports.

"There have been rumours on the CBC that we left the scene. That is not true," said Jewers. As of 1:10 a.m. on Jan. 25, Jewers' firefighters were in a very threatening situation.

"We had a flame-over in the building. I had two guys inside at that point. We retracted the two guys out, and ordered an immediate evacuation," said Jewers.

There were 17 firefighters - out of 28 total Iqaluit firefighters - on the scene, but at 1:10 a.m. flame-over spelled the end of the Snack.

Despite a fire hydrant located nearby, the building was a lost cause.

Nearby buildings were being watched for signs of flames, but the problem never arose.

"We had our crews deploy around the building, for the radiant heat. We monitored the situation," said Jewers.

The fire chief confirmed that there were three Snack staff members at the restaurant when the fire began, and that the blaze began in the kitchen area.

His department is handling the investigation, and he expects results soon.

"It is a little slow right now, we need some rest time after being on the scene so long. I am hoping to have something out by the middle of next week," said Jewers.

This blaze falls under the Iqaluit Fire Department, so fire marshal Tim Hinds will only be helping, not investigating.

"He (Jewers) can request assistance from us, but he hasn't yet. We will try to feed him some info, about inspection, repairs and fire extinguishers," said Hinds.

The Snack's three owners reside in Quebec and occasionally Iqaluit, but none could be reached for comment prior to press deadline.