Derek Neary
Northern News Services

FORT SIMPSON (Aug 20/99) - Some electrical heat tape wrapped around plumbing lines was the source of a fire that caused substantial damage to an abandoned mobile home in Fort Simpson, according to fire Chief Pat Rowe.

The fire department was alerted to the fire at 9:11 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 10. Fire Chief Pat Rowe said people in the area of 95 Avenue, near the Pentecostal chapel, said they had smelled plastic burning as early as 8 p.m.

The heat and smoke damage was extensive by the time firefighters arrived on the scene, according to Rowe. It took roughly 15 minutes to contain the blaze and another 15 to fully extinguish it, he added.

The trailer, property of Fort Simpson businessman Yanny Yan, was primarily damaged in the bathroom, where the fire first came through the floor, and in two adjacent bedrooms. The trailer contained some furnishings which were also damaged. Electrical heat tape or "heat trace tape" was found to have been the cause.

"It's the only source of ignition in that area," Rowe said.

Heat tape, which is like a rubber cord that can be wrapped around pipes and plugged in to generate low-voltage heat, is fairly common in the Northwest Territories and is often used to keep lines from freezing or to thaw them out, said Rowe. The tape should be removed or replaced regularly as it can deteriorate over the course of years, he added.

Firefighters remained on the scene until 12:30 a.m. Wednesday morning cleaning up and ensuring all hot spots were out.