Fire Chief J. Douglas Louison inspects some charred remains after two suspicious house fires early Wednesday morning.

Chris Hunsley
Northern News Services

Fort Good Hope (May 30/05) - Arsonists may be responsible for setting fire to two vacant homes early Wednesday morning.

A house across the street from the fire hall burst into flame around midnight. The second erupted in the north end of the community at 1.20 am. One was extensively damaged.

"The first fire was relatively contained while the second fire was a blaze on the second storey," said Fire Chief J. Douglas Louison. One volunteer firefighter bruised an elbow, but it would not keep the man from working, Louison said.

"These are very, very serious matters," said Cpl. Donna Rorison of the Fort Good Hope RCMP.

The community has been plagued by arsonists who lit five blazes during the summer of 2003. They were caught, convicted and jailed, she said. Five members of the fire department along with RCMP, a local contractor and residents answered the calls Wednesday with the community's new fire truck, a replacement for one that burned last year.

"Our volunteer fire department with our new fire truck did and incredible job," said Rorison.

"Whatever help we needed was there."

RCMP are investigating the fires.

"We are working awful hard on this considering the history (of arson)," Rorison said.