SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - It all started with a loud roaring sound, according to Sue Glowach, one of the first people to respond to the fire at the Aboriginal Day celebration on Sunday.

"It was scary," said Glowach, who was working in the CBC North tent beside the fish fry tents where the fire started.

Glowach said she immediately looked over and saw the tent above the propane tank catch fire, and without hesitation started pulling the tent down so it wouldn't spread the fire to another propane tank, as well some nearby helium tanks.

After the incident, with firefighters still at the scene, Glowach said the full effect of the near-disaster had yet to sink in.

Deputy fire chief Darcy Hernblad said Tuesday that the fire department received a call at 4:56 p.m., "saying that a propane tank was venting and also fire was coming out from the hose on the side of the tanks."

"We responded, we were on the scene within two minutes, and some people had already evacuated the immediate area because the propane tank had flames shooting out of it as the hose had broke off and was burning, and so our crews went in and extinguished the fire and proceeded to get the tanks shut down."

Hernblad said the department is not entirely sure of exactly what happened, but have pieced together a potential scenario from talking to those at the scene.

In the process of taking everything apart and putting it away, a person was having trouble unscrewing a regulator on a propane tank that was on too tight. Hernblad said the person then tried to loosen the regulator with a wrench.

"We think what happened was, in the process of struggling with the regulator and hose he probably kinked it and caused a small leak, and then when he went in with the wrench to loosen it off, it clicked against the metal, caused a spark and started the fire," said Hernblad, adding the person received minor burns and was already being transported to the hospital by the time firefighters arrived.

"It's always a concern for us when we do these special events where they're cooking and they got these tanks sort of temporarily tied up," said Hernblad.

"We understand the need for (the events), but on the same token it always seems to cause some sort of problem somewhere down the road."

- for more on Aboriginal Day festivities, please see page 23