Fire marshal orders structural review
Darrell Greer
Northern News Services
Baker Lake (Nov 29/00) - Concerns for public safety led to the four-day closure of the Baker Lake Sanavik Co-op retail.
Keewatin Regional fire Marshal Tim Hinds says the department received an anonymous tip Nov. 17, saying the ceiling collapsed at the Co-op.
"That was highly exaggerated, but it required investigation so I travelled to Baker to see if it was a concern to the community," says Hinds.
"When I got there, I found that in the Sanavik Co-op retail store only, there was a structural defect with some cracked beams which needed repair.
"You could tell, visually, walking through the store, that there was a fairly large twist or bow in the middle support beam."
Hinds ordered the co-op closed until a structural assessment could be completed by an engineer. The store was officially closed at 6 p.m. Nov. 17, and re-opened Nov. 21, at 2 p.m.
Hinds says an engineer was flown in from Winnipeg to conduct the assessment on Nov. 20, and was satisfied it was safe to re-open the building.
"There was a 16-foot long span which the engineer noted was too long to adequately support the second floor. Repairs were completed this past week to prevent any further problems from developing," he says.
"We played this on the side of safety for the public and things are getting fixed up the way they should be. The problem had been put off for too long and, if nothing else, the anonymous phone call led to these repairs being completed."
