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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
A Cassidy Point resident was able to save her pets but likely not her home after discovering her house on fire while returning home from work Wednesday evening.

Kristjana Dunn was with her two children ages six and nine when she saw the addition on her house at No. 7 Cassidy Point was engulfed in flames at 5:37 p.m.

"I came home from work and saw smoke and flames and I said, 'Holy shit! The house is on fire!'" said Dunn.

"The kids were really awesome when they saw the flames. I pulled out my phone (to call the fire department) and the kids were yelling, 'Emergency fire, mom!' because I have emergency numbers on my cell. They were also yelling, 'The dogs and cat!' I said, 'I know!' and I went in on my hands and knees into the house and called the dogs (Sasha and McKinley) who belly crawled out of the house. Then I said to the kids, 'I'm going back in to get the cat!', and they were like, 'Get the fire extinguishers!'"

Dunn wasn't able to immediately locate her cat Sunny, but it was later found alive under the bed in the master bedroom after firefighters arrived.

Firefighters arrived on the scene about 25 km northeast of Yellowknife on Prosperous Lake at 6:07 p.m., after Dunn's neighbours Rick Turner and Doug Rentmeister ran to the house to try and extinguish the flames and turn off the propane tank.

"I saw the house was on fire and I tried to extinguish the flames but the fire extinguisher became empty before I could get the fire out," said Rentmeister. "I tried to get into the house but the smoke was hanging two feet from the ground."

Neighbours were alerted to the fire by the Yellowknife fire chief's wife, Dayle Hernblad, a neighbour, who heard about the fire over the scanner.

"I called Sandy (Turner) and asked her if there was a house on fire next door to her," said Hernblad.

"I said, 'No? No?,' but then I looked and saw a glow and we all bundled up and went to put it out," said Sandy.

Hernblad relayed information about the fire to the fire department as it made its way to the scene.

"She told them the people were out, the propane was out, so they knew what to expect when they got here," said Sandy.

Dunn said she thinks the fire was started by a heater unit in the addition where her well and water tank are located.

"The fire's in the roof now and they're thinking that I might lose the whole house," said Dunn, who told firefighters not to endanger themselves in searching the home for precious items because everyone was safe.

The fire department estimates damages to be approximately $200,000, according to Nalini Naidoo, director of communications and economic development for the City of Yellowknife.

Dunn said her family is insured, and will be staying for the time being in staff housing supplied by the NWT Power Corporation where her husband Kevin is employed.

The family brought the pets to veterinarian Michael Hughes around midnight that night. He gave them pet food, food dishes, dog beds, and a cat carrier for free, said Dunn. Northern Industrial Sales donated a parka to replace her fur coat which was damaged in the fire.

"People have been flooding me with e-mails offering help," said Dunn. "It's just been unbelievable."

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