LIIDLII KUE/FORT SIMPSON
A series of four fires, including one that destroyed a stockpile of non-perishable supplies brought into the community for break-up, sent black smoke into the air around the island of Fort Simpson in the early morning hours of April 27.

Supplies lie scattered around the scene of a fire that took place behind the Northern in Fort Simpson April 27. The fire destroyed a wooden shed and a warehouse along with the non-perishable supplies the store had recently stockpiled in preparation for break-up. - Roxanna Thompson/NNSL photo

"We've never had multiple fires at once," said Roger Pilling, the Fort Simpson Volunteer Fire Department's fire chief.

The department received the initial call at 5:20 a.m. on Sunday morning about black smoke by Bompas Elementary School. From the fire hall, however, firefighters could see the fire at the Northern and responded in force there first.

The wooden shed behind the Northern used to store cardboard and garbage was on fire along with some wooden material between that building and the nearby metal warehouse, Pilling said. Within minutes, firefighters had that fire under control but the situation wasn't over.

"There was black smoke pouring out of the eves and the door of the warehouse," he said.

The heat from the fire had ignited some of the material in the warehouse. The department forced in the building's door.

"It was full to the ceiling with stuff," Pilling said.

That stuff was non-perishable supplies the store had recently stockpiled in preparation for break-up.

"Everything was completely destroyed by the fire," said Connie Tamoto, the manager of corporate communications for the North West Company.

The supplies included general merchandise like toilet paper and paper towels, as well as supplies for the in-store restaurant and stockpile of potato chips, among other things.

There is no estimate yet for the dollar value of the damage and the company is waiting to hear from the RCMP about the official cause of the fire, Tamoto said. In the meantime, it is business as usual for the store.

"There should be minimal disruption," she said.

While addressing the fire at the Northern, the department sent members to check on reported smoke at the elementary school. There was a garbage bin burning in one of the playgrounds but it wasn't threatening the school, Pilling said. Firefighters returned with a water extinguisher to put it out.

The department also responded to calls about two dumpster fires, one at Liidlii Kue First Nation and one behind the federal government building that houses the post office. Those fires were controlled with fire extinguishers and then put out with the department's second pumper truck, he said.

Back at the Northern, the department was having some difficulty with the fire. Firefighters tried to remove material from the building, mostly paper towels and paper products, to get to the root of the fire, but the conditions in the warehouse made it hard to see anything.

"It was very stubborn. It was like a garbage fire at that point," Pilling said.

A specialized piercing nozzle allowed the department to inject water through the wall and then open a hole to get to the burning material. The firefighters were able to bring the fire under control by 6:30 a.m. and have it out by 7:45 a.m.

The department has had longer fires in the village before but never multiple fires at the same time, Pilling said.

"I don't think you can ever train for that," he said.

The department had just conducted a live burn exercise that included the use of self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) four days before the fires. The use of SCBAs was extremely important in these fires to keep the firefighters protected, he said.

The fires are being considered suspicious and are under investigation by the RCMP along with the Office of the Fire Marshall. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Fort Simpson RCMP or Crime Stoppers.