THEBACHA/FORT SMITH
A contracting company has been fined $10,000 by the Town of Fort Smith for not having a burn permit for a fire that was left unattended, spread and virtually destroyed a trailer home on May 13.

This trailer home in Fort Smith was virtually destroyed by fire on May 13. - NNSL file photo

The town issued the hefty penalty against SK Contracting Ltd.

However, company owner Stan Kukovica appeared before town council on June 9, at a public meeting of the Community Services Standing Committee, to object to the amount of the fine and ask that it be reduced.

"I find $10,000 is quite heavy," Kukovica told councillors.

"I'm not here to debate whether I'm responsible for what I did. I'm 100 per cent aware of what I did."

The trailer home is located at Towering Pines Trailer Park.

The lone resident was not home at the time of the fire, and there were no injuries.

Just after the incident, a spokesperson for the Fort Smith Fire Department said the trailer home was caught on fire by burning grass.

SK Contracting Ltd. uses the lot next to the trailer home to store building materials and equipment.

It is believed wood debris was being burned in a fire on the property.

Kukovica noted he had four burn permits from the town prior to May 13 but he had decided against burning then because the wind was too high.

However, he said he completely forgot to get a burn permit on May 13 but felt it was safe to burn because there was no wind.

"So I decided to burn," he said, adding he had previously cleaned all around the fire pit to make sure there was no debris and no branches.

"All what was around it was all sand," he said.

Kukovica explained he was called away from the site to the town dump to pick up one of his workers - an inmate of a correctional centre who had to return to the facility.

"Before I left, I made sure the fire was left really small, and it was really small," he said.

After picking up the worker and dropping him off, Kukovica said he went home for a quick bite and that's when he immediately heard the fire had spread and he jumped back into his vehicle to head back to the site.

"When I got there, everything was on fire - my loader, my material and my neighbour's trailer," he said, reiterating he had been gone for just half an hour.

Kukovica said he feels bad about what happened. However, he argued the $10,000 penalty is extremely high for his company's first time for not having a burn permit. It is the maximum fine under the town's bylaw. Kukovica declined to comment further to News/North following his appearance before council.

Prior to Kukovica's statement to the standing committee, Mayor Brad Brake cautioned council members that questions and comments should be "very limited" so the town would not appear prejudicial in the matter.

That is because, if the contracting company does not pay the fine, the town would have to take the matter to court to seek to have it paid.Brake declined to comment on the matter when contacted later by News/North.

Const. Elenore Sturko, the media relations officer for the RCMP's 'G' Division, said the police have concluded their investigation of the fire, and no charges are anticipated.

The fire was also investigated by the NWT Fire Marshal's Office.

"There was unattended burning going on on the lot beside the trailer, and we don't know exactly how but the fire did spread into the grass and the grass carried the fire across into the neighbouring property," said William Reimer, assistant fire marshal for the South Slave with the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs. "It also impacted equipment and materials that were stored on the lot that the fire initially started on."

The Fire Marshal's Office itself does not levy fines or lay charges in relation to a fire. Reimer explained that is up to the municipal authorities or the RCMP.

The assistant fire marshal said the May 13 fire should be a warning to other people of the dangers of burning.

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