Arviat (June 11/03) - Brooke Mckenzie may have a future in fire fighting, but she doesn't think she'll break away from her current vocation quite yet.

Hotel guest Brooke Mckenzie's quick actions may have prevented a disaster at the Padlei Inns North in Arviat.

The Rankin Inlet-based physiotherapist demonstrated her fire fighting skills in Arviat this past month, when she extinguished a kitchen fire while staying at the Padlei Inns North hotel.

The small fire began just before 10 p.m., when turkey bones in a soup pot overcooked.

Alerted to the problem by a carver wandering through the hotel, Mckenzie went to check.

"The carver told me she smelled smoke, so I went to take a peak in the kitchen," said Mckenzie.

What she found was a kitchen vacant of hotel staff and foot high flames jumping from a pot on the stove.

"I was a little shocked and not sure what to do right away.

"I've never used a fire extinguisher before. So, I read the instructions on the extinguisher and followed them."

Staying cool, Mckenzie entered the kitchen with the extinguisher and sprayed almost the entire room until the fire went out.

"I made a real mess in the kitchen."

Arviat fire Chief Robert Ulayok said the hotel lost a cooking pot and a turkey.

The hotel kitchen did have to close for a short time to clean up the mess.

One concern, however, was the noticeable absence of noise from smoke detectors in the hotel.

Ulayok said it was not until the smoke was observed that anyone knew there was a fire.

Fire Marshal Tim Hinds said that's not uncommon.

"In the kitchen, there wouldn't be a smoke detector, there'd be a heat detector," said Hinds.

A heat detector would only be set off by heat generated by flames.

Hinds said a lot of heat is needed to set off a heat detector.

He said the Arviat hotel has been good at maintaining its fire safety systems.

"They usually do those inspections in the summer.

"Realistically, they (smoke detectors) could be unserviceable without it being known until they're tested."

As for fire regulations that state someone should be present in a kitchen while cooking is going on - Hinds said there are none.

"It's common sense."