Lisa Scott
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Oct 12/05) - The owner of the Home Building Centre is upset with the implications of a fire marshal's report on the blaze that took the lives of two Yellowknife firefighters last winter.

Chuck Corothers, owner of the Home Building Centre is disappointed that he wasn't contacted for the fire marshal's report on the blaze that killed two Yellowknife firefighters in March. - Lisa Scott/NNSL photo

The report blames an electric heater for the fire that broke out in a saw shed at the store early March 17.

Chuck Corothers was surprised to read about the findings in Yellowknifer, and said the information suggests neglect by the store or its employees.

"They make it sound like some little plug-in heater you'd use for heating somebody's bedroom or porch," he said.

Corothers said the 220 volt heater was one of two that were mounted on brackets near the ceiling, and wired specifically for the space.

The heaters were in place when Corothers bought the store, then Beaver Lumber, in 1994. He doesn't know the age of the heaters, but said the building was regularly inspected.

Keep it comfortable

"That heater was not meant to keep the saw shed at room temperature. It was meant to keep it comfortable enough that the guys can go in and the equipment and the saws would work okay," Corothers says.

The commercial heaters were on a thermostat set to 10 C, said Corothers.

The fire marshal released the report last week, seven months after firefighters Cyril Fyfe and Kevin Olson died. They were asphyxiated when the roof collapsed under the weight of snow and other firefighters. The complete report won't be made public until the Workers Compensation Board completes its investigation, but fire marshal Bernie Van Tighem released findings on the cause of the fire. "The heater was insufficient for the space it was heating...because it was working harder than it was designed to," said Van Tighem last week, and warned the public about using electric space heaters.

Corothers wonders why he wasn't approached by Van Tighem. The report was shared with the city, the coroner and the WCB.

Important details

He doesn't dispute that the heater may have caused the fire, but said more details are important to the findings.

"I would like to have some contact with them," said Corothers.

He's worried about his employees and how the information might reflect on them.

"They've had a hell of a year. It's been a tough, tough year. This just makes it more difficult for them," he said.

Van Tighem said he's willing to discuss the matter if Corothers calls him.

"If he wants to talk about the cause and determination, I can certainly discuss it with him," he said, Tuesday.