YELLOWKNIFE - While firefighters were running out of water trying to control a raging inferno on Latham Island, their re-supply truck was hopelessly snarled in a traffic jam a few hundred meters down the street.

Here an ambulance and water pumper truck are blocked in by traffic after attending a fire at 87 Morrison Drive on Saturday night. The fire department said that traffic slowed down their response to the fire. - Bruce Valpy/NNSL photo

Merlin Klassen, a deputy fire chief with the Yellowknife Fire Department, said there was no chance of saving the duplex at 87 Morrison Dr. by the time fire crews arrived shortly after 10 p.m., Saturday, even if they hadn't run out of water.

Nonetheless, Klassen said the traffic confusion along the one-way access Otto Drive that evening was enough to warrant the fire department to request a meeting between the RCMP and municipal bylaw to come up with a plan to address traffic congestion on Latham Island during emergencies.

"We are meeting with the RCMP and (Municipal Enforcement Division) about coming up with a plan for closing up the roads earlier," said Klassen.

A  video taken by Yellowknifer managing editor Bruce Valpy shows just how out of control traffic on Otto Drive was Saturday evening. Otto Drive is the only route that feeds traffic onto Morrison Drive at its north terminus where the fire occurred.

In the video, an ambulance and a fire department water pumper are stuck in traffic for several minutes as vehicles converged on it from the wrong direction down Otto. Adding to the problem, vehicles on the turn-off ramp into Ndilo also contributed to the congestion.

Joan Hirons, who lives on Morrison Drive, described a chaotic scene with narrow lanes filled with vehicles and onlookers and fire trucks trying to get through.

"It was rather scary to watch," said Hirons.

Klassen said the first fire crews - accompanied by a single tanker carrying 3,000 gallons of water - had no problem getting to the fire but they only had enough water to douse the fire for three minutes at full throttle.

The fire department's other pumper truck, meanwhile, got stuck in the traffic jam.

"(The traffic jam) impeded are ability to get water on the scene," said Klassen.

He estimated that it took three to four minutes for a second pumper truck to arrive and provide water to fight the fire.

Even though traffic order was restored within a half-hour, fire crews ran out of water several times throughout the night, said Klassen.

"With the size of the building and the amount of fire, it just takes a heavy water supply," said Klassen.

Latham Island, like the rest of Old Town, is on trucked water service during the winter and its summer surface lines are too small to provide enough pressure for fire hoses, said Klassen.

He said it was also impractical to draw water from nearby Back Bay.

"The distance from the lake to the fire, and the equipment that we have... and the loss of friction (as the water is pumped out) that would have been inadequate," said Klassen.

To supply water to the fire, the two pumper trucks continually rotated back and forth from a fire hydrant on Franklin Ave. near the Yellowknife Racquet Club until 6 a.m.

The traffic jam, meanwhile, finally abated about 30 minutes after the fire was reported.

By that time, the RCMP was blocking traffic onto Latham Island at McDonald Drive near Johnson's Lumber. The initial roadblock had been set up at the causeway to Latham Island.

The RCMP were in charge of most traffic control duties as there was only one bylaw officer on duty Saturday night rather than the usual two.

"The officer that was on noon to midnight was brought in earlier to get the (parking ) meter coin count done because the next day was the bike rodeo for us," said Doug Gillard, manager of municipal enforcement.

"We needed him in earlier on Sunday so his hours were changed."

Gillard said no one has contacted him about holding a meeting to plan out how to better combat traffic problems on Latham Island.

The fire department estimates the cost of damages in the Morrison Drive fire at $1 million. Damages in another fire that occurred earlier Saturday on Harriett's Lane are estimated at $350,000.

Klassen said there doesn't appear to be any connection between the two fires nor is arson suspected.

He said the fire at Morrison started on the back deck but investigators aren't exactly sure what started it.