Firefighters put water on a fire at the dump in Rankin Inlet on Tuesday afternoon. Small, unexplained explosions soon after caused the firefighters to evacuate the site and return to it later that evening. - Candace Thomson/NNSL photo |
Dump fire in Rankin Inlet
Volunteer firefighters hard at work
Candace Thomson
Northern News Services
Published Wednesday, July 2, 2014
RANKIN INLET
A dump fire which started in Rankin Inlet last Tuesday had the eight volunteer firefighters in the community hard at work.
The fire started shortly after 2 p.m. June 24, according to Sam Tutanuak, deputy mayor for the hamlet.
"The fire department went up and they started extinguishing part of the dump and then 30 or 40 feet to the left another part of the dump ignited while they were fighting the first bit," Tutanuak said the next day. "A series of explosions happened and they deemed it too dangerous to fight, so the acting fire chief evacuated the site up until 10:30 last night."
By Friday, the firefighters were smothering the flames with gravel from the local quarry with help from Mosher Construction and M&T Enterprises, with 90 per cent of the fire contained that afternoon and firefighters expected to work throughout the weekend.
By Monday, firefighters were working on smothering the last parts of the dump that were smouldering, expecting to have it out by the end of the day.
Officials don't know what started the fire or the exact cause of the explosions, but Tutanuak said they could have been caused by empty propane or aerosol cans left in the dump exploding. The firefighters worked in shifts of four Tuesday evening, through the night and all day Wednesday, he said, using tens of thousands of litres of water in an attempt to extinguish the fire.
"I've gotta hand it to them they contained a good portion of it overnight," Tutanuak said. "Unfortunately, we don't have the resources to get the foam and all the gadgets that southern Canada has, but we're doing what we can with what we have."
Bylaw officers were on the scene Tuesday night and had to escort children from the site and return them home to their parents, an issue that continued throughout the night, Tutanuak said.
On Wednesday, a shift in wind direction sent smoke over the community causing residents to close their windows and in some cases take shelter at the community arena.
"What the hamlet is offering is the arena for any resident that feels that they're in danger, or think that there's too much smoke coming in their direction, we're offering the arena as a place to go for now," Tutanuak said.
He added firefighters worked until 12:30 a.m. on Friday, working more than 48 hours straight before finally taking a rest and returning in the early morning to continue to fight the fire.
In answer to rumours that the fire began in January, Tutanuak said a hamlet official saw blue flames at the dump when a dozer was levelling it off in January, but he couldn't confirm if those flames caused the current dump fire or not.
He urged the public to stay away from the site.
"There are 45-gallon drums in that area where the explosions are at," he said. "Whatever is in those drums is unidentified and there could be or could not be the potential for a huge explosion, it's hard to tell. We would just like to keep the public at a safe distance."
As of press time, the hamlet had not called for assistance from any neighbouring community fire departments, but Tutanuak said they will if the fire grows out of control.
As for the smoke, Tutanuak said it's been spotted in communities as far away as Chesterfield Inlet. Smoke could still be seen billowing up from the dump and circling around the community as of press time.
The Rankin Inlet Health Centre issued a memo on Friday instructing residents how to stay safe due to the heavy smoke, with precautions in effect until June 30.
"The high level of smoke might effect people with heart and lung disease, with the elderly and young more at risk to the health effects," Andrea McLarty, nurse-in-charge, told Kivalliq News Friday. "If the smoke is heavy, stay indoors as much as possible. Keep your doors and windows closed, and air exchangers set to circulate indoor air or shut off completely."
