Arson charges laid after Kugaardjuq School fire
Bare-fisted men no match for blaze threatening hamlet office, power plant
Beth Brown
Northern News Services
Monday, March 6, 2017
KUGAARUK
A youth has been charged with arson after a fire destroyed Kugaaruk's only school.
Kugaardjuq School in Kugaaruk was destroyed following an overnight fire on Feb. 28. A 13-year-old youth has been charged with arson in relation to the fire. - photo courtesy of John Ivey |
"We watched it burn down," said Kugaaruk Fire Chief Vincent Ningark, whose crew of 12 braved extreme cold to fight -sometimes with their bare hands-an overnight fire that destroyed Kugaardjuq School, Feb. 28. Officials are now looking for space to educate 295 students for the remainder of the school year.
"It was a struggle from the beginning," said Ningark, who was called to the fire around 10:30 p.m.
He said putting out the flames needed to happen from inside the building, and the hamlet didn't have the heavy equipment to knock down walls or remove the roof.
The hamlet only has one fire truck.
"All we were able to do was protect the surrounding buildings."
The men focused on keeping the fire away from the nearby hamlet complex and power plant, and from having embers blown onto private homes. He said fortunately the wind was blowing west, away from a large fuel tank at the power plant.
A 13-year-old youth is charged with arson in relation to the fire, following investigation by an RCMP major crime division, the fire marshall's office and the community fire department.
"It was determined the fire was deliberately set," stated a March 3 RCMP release.
The youth has been released on conditions, with a scheduled court date of April 5 in Kugaaruk.
Environment Canada had issued an extreme cold warning that evening, and wind chill temperatures were as low as -55 C, according to a police report.
"Water and extreme cold don't mix," said Ningark.
Hoses were freezing, with three broken beyond repair, and gloves worn by the firefighters were soaked through and frozen.
"We went through so many gloves that some of the guys fought for a good half hour to an hour with just bare hands," said Ningark.
He added he was very proud of the firefighters.
Ningark has a young son who attended the school.
"It's a devastating loss for the community," he said. "The facility housed a lot of kids where they provide breakfast programs, lunch programs, after-school intramural programs and one of the teachers volunteers her time on Sunday evenings to have square dances each week," he said.
Now all that's left of the community hub is a high beam and burned steel, he said.
"The school is gone, destroyed, but the silver lining is that we didn't lose the hamlet office, which is right next to the school - and it was touchy for a while - and we didn't lose the power plant which was also very close to the fire, and no one got injured," said hamlet senior administrative officer John Ivey.
"The big issue now is, where do we put the kids?"
The school serves kindergarten to Grade 12. Classes are postponed in the hamlet until classroom space can be arranged.
Officials from the Education, Community and Government Services, and Health departments arrived in the hamlet March 2.
"We want the hamlet and the district education authority to secure that space for our school, that's the main purpose of this trip," said Education Minister Paul Quassa in a March 2 interview with Nunavut News/North.
He estimated the building is valued at $30 million to $40 million. Unlike Peter Pitseolak High School, the Cape Dorset school that burned down in 2015, Kugaardjuq School was fully insured.
The recently released 2017-18 budget included $40 million for unforseen events.
"As we carry a $10 million deductible on schools, we will need to draw down this contingency funding, so will have less moving forward," stated Finance Minister Keith Peterson.
Quassa said the school was due for upgrades, as the aging building was at 84 per cent capacity.
"When we have up to 85 per cent capacity in any of our schools, that's when we start looking at whether to extend the school, renovate it or get a brand new school," he said.
The GN will look to provide the hamlet with modular units for classroom space in the summer.
Quassa noted that sealift is a challenge for Kugaaruk, which often remains under heavy ice into the summer months.
"Sometimes supply ships can't get in. It's going to be a challenge to figure out how we are going to get those (portable units) in."
Quassa plans to visit the hamlet following the current sitting of the legislative assembly to provide assurance to the community.
"We are on top of this thing," he said. "Our thoughts are with the community and with the school staff."
He said none of the 45 employees at the school will lose their jobs, even temporarily, as a result of the fire.
South Baffin MLA David Joanasie, who represents Cape Dorset, offered his condolences in a March 1 sitting of the legislative assembly.
"I feel deeply for the residents of Kugaaruk as they will need tremendous support to avoid delays to the students' education. My message -even though this is tragic, do not lose hope during this trying time."
Health Minister George Hickes said his department is looking into sending additional mental health workers and counsellors to Kugaaruk.
