Mike W. Bryant
Northern News Services
Friday, June 8, 2007

YELLOWKNIFE - City councillors are looking for solutions after a fire on Latham Island last weekend led to traffic chaos and firefighters without water to fight the blaze.

Since the fire at 87 Morrision Drive Saturday night, questions have been raised about the fire department's capability to fight fires on Latham Island where there are no fire hydrants and the streets are narrow and one-way for the most part.

The fire department was forced to rotate its two water pumper trucks between the fire and a fire hydrant two kilometers away on Franklin Ave.

Firefighters ran out of water several times and were hampered by traffic congestion on Otto Drive as sightseers converged on Latham Island.

"It's a little bit concerning when they run out of water," Lila Erasmus, who lives on Ndilo Road, a short distance from the fire.

"It's so far out here from the fire hall."

Not only is fighting a fire on the island more difficult, it's more expensive to live there.

A lack of fire hydrants in the area means yearly insurance premiums can be several hundred dollars higher than in other neighbourhoods, according to Yellowknife insurance brokers.

City councillors contacted by Yellowknifer say addressing firefighting capabilities on Latham Island is a top priority.

"There's not much you can do about the narrow roadways in that part of town but certainly they should have a system to overcome that,' said Coun. Mark Heyck, after viewing video footage posted on Yellowknifer's website showing emergency vehicles hemmed in by traffic.

Heyck said one possible remedy would be to provide the fire department with a mobile pump that could draw water out directly from Yellowknife Bay.

Coun. David Wind wondered if the fire department had enough water pumper trucks. There are two right now.

"If we're going to rely on ferrying the water back and forth, maybe we need more pumper trucks," said Wind.

Fire department pumper trucks are capable of drawing water from ponds and lakes but only from distances of 20 feet or less, according to deputy fire chief Merlin Klassen.

The fire department looked at the possibility of pumping water from the lake after arriving to fight the fire but quickly ruled it out because it was too far away, said Klassen.

He said water pressure - or lack of it - becomes an issue at greater distances.

"We went and checked everything out there," said Klassen.

"To draft with our trucks we'd need to get our trucks almost in the water."

Klassen said it might be possible for the city to install pumping stations along Latham Island so firefighters can pump water from Yellowknife Bay, at least during summer months, as some industrial sites do down south.

"An option most definitely," said Klassen.

"That's how industrial sites work but in a municipal setting I don't know."

The monstrous fire on Morrison Drive left two Yellowknife families homeless and caused an estimated $1million in damages. There were no injuries although it's believed two cats perished in the blaze.

Klassen said after interviewing the owners and checking the wreckage Tuesday it became apparent that some sort of "smoking material" was left inside a flowerpot next to a partition wall on the A side of 87 Morrison.

"We couldn't find the cigarette, but through interviews and determining where the hottest spot of the fire was and what was on there and what people were doing, it came down to smoking material and extinguishing cigarette butts into flower pots that had peat moss in them," said Klassen.

Jack Danychuk, who lives a few doors down the street from 87 Morrison, questions the fire department's findings.

He said he was on scene some ten minutes before the fire department arrived.

The roof and kitchen on the top third floor of the building were already on fire when he arrived, he said, adding that fire was also spreading through the wall below the back deck but the deck itself wasn't on fire.

"The fire appeared to be burning from inside the house and not on the deck, said Danylchuk. "The hottest spots on the deck were caused by propane tanks that caught fire well after the fire was burning in the roof."

- with files from Jessica Klinkenberg