Dorothy Westerman
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Aug 31/05) - An early Monday morning fire in a downtown apartment sent a woman to the hospital with serious burns and smoke inhalation.

But it could have been worse for her if not for four quick-thinking Mounties first on the scene.

Water was still running down the side of this downtown apartment building Monday, after a fifth-floor fire sent a woman to hospital with serious burns.

Yellowknife RCMP arrived prior to the fire department at the Anderson Thompson apartment building and moved immediately to rescue a woman inside the burning housing unit, said deputy fire chief Chucker Dewar of the 12:30 a.m. alarm.

"They actually went up to where the fire was in the building while we were en route," Dewar said.

"They forced entry into the room and hooked into the building standpipe system which gives them a fire hose," Dewar said.

Constables were then able to reach the victim inside the apartment.

"They went above what they normally do," Dewar said of the actions of the RCMP.

Cpl. Sean Gordon and three other officers were at the fire: Const. Brent Blackie, Const. Keith Kowalchuk and acting Cpl. David Hamilton.

Gordon was first to notice the smoke because he was in the building at the time. The three others arrived soon after.

The fire caused $25,000 damage to the apartment and elsewhere.

The Fire Marshal, RCMP and the Yellowknife Fire Department are investigating the fire at the building, located across from Sir John Franklin high school.

Twenty-eight firefighters, a medic, two ladder trucks, one rescue truck, and two other vehicles answered the call.

Darcy Hernblad, deputy fire chief, said the sprinkler system helped keep the fire from spreading from the fifth floor apartment to other areas of the tall building.

- with files from Brent Reaney