Richard Gleeson
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (July 13/01) - Two pairs of alert tourists sightseeing on Latham Island helped firefighters get the jump on an Otto Drive blaze Wednesday and saved the owners' pet from a grizzly death.

"We were just touring around, going slow and we saw smoke starting to come out of the back of the house," said Calgary tourist David Leona.

Leona was the first person to spot trouble at 29 Otto Dr., the home of Don and Mary Yamkowy.

He said within five minutes smoke was billowing out of the house.

By that time, at about 11:30 a.m., Canal Flats, B.C., residents Russel Grieve and Peggy Waterstreet came by in their truck.

Also sightseeing, they stopped and investigated the source of the smoke.

"Our first concern was whether there was anybody in there," said Grieve.

He called into an open door at the back of the house, which overlooks Yellowknife Bay. When there was no response, Grieve started walking around the house, looking in windows.

Meanwhile a fire that had started in the furnace room was growing.

Peering in one window, Grieve noticed something moving.

"I saw there was a cat under the coffee table, gasping for air. At first I hesitated to go in, but I made the decision to go in to rescue the cat because I knew the owners would appreciate it," said Grieve.

It was the second time Grieve had been in such a situation. He said as he was slowly opening the door he was mindful of the first time he had done such a thing, about 10 years ago.

That time, opening the door allowed air to flow into the home and the fire immediately grew.

Though he was coughing by the time he got out of the house, Grieve was OK. The cat was taken to the veterinarian.

Deputy fire chief Mike Lowing said in a sealed house -- particularly those sealed as well as many Northern homes -- a fire can slowly suffocate itself, burning all the available oxygen. If a supply of air is suddenly introduced, the fire can suddenly jump to life.

Firefighters arrived on the scene and quickly had the fire under control.

"The fire was confined to the boiler or furnace room, but there was extensive smoke damage throughout the house," said Lowing. Lowing said Grieve walked that fine line between being a good samaritan and making and endangering himself.

"You always encourage people to be involved in emergencies, but you don't want them to endanger themselves," he said. "Fortunately in this case everybody got out all right."

The Yellowknife fire department determined the blaze started in the air handling unit of the home's heat recovery and ventilation system. The system draws heat from air leaving the home and uses it to heat air being drawn in. Estimated damages have yet to be calculated.