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The wreckage of the saw shed next to the Home Building Centre is being cleaned up. Two firefighters died fighting the fire. The tragedy is the hardest thing owner Chuck Corothers has ever had to deal with, he said. - Stephan Burnett/NNSL photo

Loss of life at work

Stephan Burnett
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Apr 06/05) - Dealing with the consequences of a fire, which caused of the death of two firefighters, is the toughest thing Home Building Centre owner Chuck Corothers has ever had to deal with.

"It's still hard on the staff to come to work. There's reminders everywhere. I'm not sure what to say. We're trying to go back to doing day-to-day routines," said Corothers. The March 17 fire is still under investigation.

Corothers said they have never had to deal with such a serious incident.

"Fortunately we've had very few serious injuries to staff or customers. To have to deal with a fatal injury - I still don't even know what to say and how to deal with it," he said.

Corothers said nothing on the main structure of the Home Building Centre was touched. The saw shed where the fire occurred was separate from the main building.

The business was closed for one day with the store open the following day but with no access to the yard.

Corothers would not put a dollar value on the loss to the business, only saying he was covered by insurance.

At the corporate level people have been very supportive and grief counselling is available, he said.

"Any staff that wanted to take time could and the people who wanted to get back to work did," he said.

"There's so many levels that have to be notified and we had to work through that as a team."

Carothers said the business is co-operating with police, the fire department, fire marshal, who are investigating the fire.

He said reports of other fires along Old Airport Road caused initial concerns the blaze may have been intentionally set. The RCMP investigation has ruled out arson.

"The fact the fire was in the ceiling and there was no damage at floor level or even five or six feet up the walls is added evidence to an electrical malfunction," he said.

Corothers has also been dealing with the victims involved.

"We had family members at the store who had come to attend the funeral and wanted to lay flowers," he said.

"We had the wife of Kevin, Erica Olson, come by the store. She came in and laid a wreath and firefighters were in from Edmonton and Calgary.

Sense of loss

"It was hard, a really tough time for my staff," said Corothers.

Along with dealing with the loss and sense of futility, Corothers said he and his staff are trying their best to move on.