Fire marshal: keep lighters from kids
Message comes after two fires in city were determined to have been started by children
John McFadden
Northern News Services
Friday, March 31, 2017
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
The NWT fire marshal is pleading with parents and guardians to make sure children do not have access to lighters or matches.
Soot and scorch marks are visible above a deck and a window after a fire Saturday morning at this townhouse on Williams Avenue. The NWT fire marshal says a child playing with a lighter is the suspected cause. - John McFadden/NNSL photo |
Chucker Dewar raised the issue after two recent blazes in the city were determined to have been started by youth playing with lighters. He said Saturday morning's fire on Williams Avenue was deemed accidental, caused by a child playing with a lighter.
At the Explorer Hotel on Monday night, officials determined a child playing with a lighter was the cause of a fire on the second floor.
No one was hurt in the Explorer Hotel fire but a woman was taken to hospital with minor injuries after the Williams Avenue fire.
"In light of the two recent fires, the Office of the Fire Marshal would like to remind residents to keep matches and lighters in a safe place out of the reach of children," said Dewar. "Building owners and operators are also reminded to ensure they are maintaining their fire protection systems in a state of readiness."
Dewar said the sprinkler system at the Explorer Hotel was working properly when fire broke out. Indeed, there was water damage to both the second floor and the lobby, caused by the sprinklers, according to the city.
Dewar said the sprinklers contained the fire to the area where it started. He added that to his knowledge, two people - an adult and child - were inside the residence on Williams Avenue when flames broke out. In a news release from the city, mention was made of a woman on a second-storey deck when firefighters arrived. She was pulled to safety by firefighters. The news release did not state there was a child in the home at the time. Damage to that home has been listed at $120,000. A damage total for the fire at the Explorer has not been released.
