Jake Kennedy
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Sep 11/02) - A Yellowknife father is hopeful his daughter will recover from severe burns sustained in a fire in Old Town early Sunday morning.

RCMP are investigating arson as the possible cause of the blaze which trapped two teens inside the cabin on Bryson Drive.

Hospital officials said Tuesday that Claire Brookes, 17, and Lindsey Rocher, 15, both from Yellowknife, are in stable condition.

Brookes' father, Terry Brookes, said Tuesday his daughter was doing well, despite serious burns to her face, feet, hands, back and throat.

"We're all optimistic that she'll recover completely," he said.

Firefighters were called to the Old Town Log Cabins owned by Homes North at 5005 Bryson Drive around 5:30 Sunday morning.

The two teenagers escaped before fire crews arrived and were driven to Stanton Territorial Hospital by a passerby. They were later flown to the University of Alberta Hospital in Edmonton.

'Not accidental'

The intense blaze took 19 firefighters more than one-and-a-half hours to put out.

The fire burned the front porch and roof of the cabin. Charred logs and a burned mattress and blanket still sat on the ground outside the boarded up front door on Tuesday.

The side of the Gallery of the Midnight Sun, which is located less than six metres from the blaze, was discoloured by the heat of the flames.

An investigation by the NWT Fire Marshal's office and the Yellowknife fire department concluded Tuesday afternoon that the fire was set deliberately.

"It wasn't an accidental fire," said Clem St. Croix, deputy fire chief with the Yellowknife fire department.

The fire department has turned the investigation over to the RCMP.

"We consider the circumstances of that fire to be suspicious," said RCMP Cpl. Mike Brandford of the Yellowknife detachment. Despite a flurry of rumours, police are tight-lipped about the fire and will not release further information while the incident is under investigation.

They are asking anyone who may have information to contact the detachment.

"We've been talking to lots of people," Brandford said. "We'll worry about finding out which rumours are true, and which aren't," he added.