SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - A Yellowknife taxi company is calling on Yellowknifers to help out after a fire destroyed a cab driver's home Sunday morning.

Firefighters work to contain the house fire on 22 Rycon Place at 8:15 a.m. on Sunday April 17. The trailer was completely destroyed and nothing was recovered. The owners, Bill Higden and his wife, Pam MacQuarrie-Hidgen, had no insurance, said Bill's employer. - Heather Lange/NNSL Photo

The trailer at 22 Rycon Place belonged to Bill Higden and his wife Pam MacQuarrie-Higden. Bill is a cab driver with City Cabs.

"Bill has given his life to this community. He is going to need the help of the community to get his life back," said Cordi Yaceyko-Deutschmann, director of Diamond Cabs, who said the couple did not have insurance on their belongings.

He and his wife's home burned to the ground on the weekend, leaving nothing but a pile of rubble.

"They lost everything they had," said a neighbour, who wished to remain anonymous.

The neighbour said he was outside having a cigarette 25 minutes before the fire, but there was no indication of any flames building next door.

Nothing was recovered from the blaze. Bill escaped with only the clothes on his back and no jacket, and Pam just had her pajamas on, said the neighbour.

The neighbour said the couple had lived at the residence for approximately 15 years. He said he was told they were now staying at a cabin on Highway 3.

Twenty-six firefighters responded to the fire. Deputy fire chief Jason Davidson of the Yellowknife fire department said the trailer was a "total loss," and Pam was treated at the hospital for smoke inhalation.

There was no damage to neighbouring homes. Davidson said the fire department has had no contact with the occupants since the time of the fire. They left the scene very quickly to go to the hospital and haven't been heard from since, he said.

Yaceyko-Deutschmann said Diamond Cabs is collecting donations at its office at 12 Melville Drive if anyone wants to help the couple. She said today all Diamond Cabs drivers will have collection boxes in their cabs for them.

She said the company will more than match the total amount collected.

It remains unclear what caused the cause of the fire, or what the cost estimate on the damages are.

"We will never know the cause of the fire," said Davidson, adding there was little of the trailer left to investigate. There was nothing suspicious in nature about the cause of the fire, he said.

Yellowknifer could not reach the couple for comment before press time.

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