Paula White
Northern News Services

INUVIK (Jun 11/99) - Sir Alexander Mackenzie School was without power Monday and Tuesday, forcing the school to close for those days.

A problem with a power pole on the west side of the building was the cause of the power outage. Fire Chief Al German said the problem was discovered just before 6 a.m. June 7 when a passerby noticed the pole was on fire.

SAM's vice-principal, Bill Gowans, said the Northwest Territories Power Corporation worked on the problem Monday and Tuesday and were able to restore power Tuesday evening. School was back in session Wednesday morning.

Another fire on June 3 at Samuel Hearne Secondary School only caused a minor interruption of classes, but had the potential to be much more serious. German said a plastic toilet paper dispenser in the boys' washroom was set on fire. The fire department received the call at about 1:30 p.m.

"We were there in full response," German said. "The whole school was evacuated by Chuck (Lirette). He did a good job evacuating the whole school, pulling the alarm and calling us."

The fire was extinguished in under 10 minutes, starting from the time the call came in. German said damage was confined to the bathroom and was mostly smoke-related.

"The worst thing about that kind of fire is it's plastic and it's very toxic. If anybody was in that washroom they probably would have been toast," German said. "As they say, fires don't kill you, it's the toxic gases."

German added that it is a documented fact that 70 per cent of people who die in fires die of smoke inhalation and heat rather than by fire itself.

Inuvik RCMP are investigating the fire at SHSS, and ask that anyone with information contact Crime Stoppers.

German said as a result of the fire, the school will now undergo a full fire inspection, including the sprinkler system, fire separations and extinguishers.