Sanikiluaq (May 12/03) - A family of six in Sanikiluaq lost their two-storey home after a mattress in one of the rooms close to the heater caught fire.

The blaze occurred during the evening of May 1 and took several hours to put out.

"The fire was too much. Only my husband, my son and some visitors were there. They tried to put it out but they couldn't," said home-owner Lucy Uppik, who was out visiting when she got the news.

Community members rushed to the scene to help firefighters put out the blaze but little could be salvaged.

"My husband took his hunting parka and two containers of gas that were sitting on the porch. That's all that's left. We really couldn't save anything," said Uppik.

Fire Chief Eli Sala said the entire building is a loss. A cost estimate of the damages was not available by press time.

One firefighter was slightly injured trying to put out the fire. Sala said that the firefighter fell from the second floor, but received only bumps and bruises.

He was sent to the health centre and later released.

Uppik's 19-year-old son also had to report to the health centre, suffering from mild smoke inhalation.

"My son inhaled too much smoke trying to put out the flames and so he couldn't do it any more. He's okay now," she explained.

Even though they lost their home, the family feels fortunate because of all the help they have received from the community. Uppik said they were especially lucky that a vacant house in the community was available and that they were able to move in the next day.

"We've got our phone back up already and a lot of people have been helping us," she said.

The family is still a little shocked, but Uppik said they are just happy that no one was seriously injured.

The last major blaze to occur in the community also took place on May 1 three years ago.

In 2000 Sanikiluaq's power plant was gutted by a fire. Without any backup generators, the Nunavut government was forced to issue its first ever state of emergency.

Residents were without heat or lights for almost two days.