SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
City officials admit more paid on-call firefighters are needed after only 18 firefighters - both paid on-call and full-time - showed up to fight a house fire on Forrest Drive on Monday afternoon.
It doesn't appear anyone was seriously hurt in the fire at 5039 Forrest Dr., although Gay Kennedy, a neighbour living across the street, said she saw two people coughing as they were being tended to by emergency personnel.
Dennis Marchiori, director of public safety with the city, said a full-group alert was made - notifying firefighters by radio that a structure fire is in progress and additional personnel are needed - but only 18 firefighters, including two engines, one rescue vehicle, two ambulances, and one command unit, responded.
The city currently has 24 full-time firefighters and about 18 to 20 paid on-call firefighters.
Marchiori admitted the city would ideally like to have 30 on-call firefighters available.
"We always need more firefighters and we would rather have a waiting list of people wanting to be paid on-calls than having less than 30," said Marchiori.
Monday's fire occurred in an older-style mobile home. The fire department, municipal enforcement division and ambulance services responded to the fire at approximately 1:40 p.m. after smoke was seen pouring from the crawlspace.
A news release issued by the city Monday night indicated while there weren't people inside the house, two occupants were on scene. One man was conducting some sort of work on the home when fire crews arrived. The man was advised to seek hospital treatment but refused to go in an ambulance. Another man was treated on the scene and left on his own without seeking additional help.
The street was closed off between the Reservoir Road and 51A Avenue intersections after municipal enforcement officers redirected traffic for about two hours.
Kennedy said a cloud of grey smoke could be seen billowing out from the crawlspace as at least two people, a man and a woman, were taken away from the house.
"The house is closed so obviously there is sufficient damage," said Kennedy, who watched the entire incident unfold from her home.
"I don't think (the occupants) are going to get back in there and I think a lot of water went in there."
The owners of the home could not be located by press time and a cause of fire has yet to be determined.
The city stated in its news release that the fire does not appear to be suspicious.
The extent of damage was still being assessed at press time.
