Second house fire in three days
Home was under construction; cause has not been determined
John McFadden
Northern News Services
Monday, June 27, 2016
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
For the second time in just three days, a home in Yellowknife has been heavily damaged by fire.
Water is sprayed from an aerial truck onto the flaming roof of a home in the Niven Lake subdivision late Thursday night. It is not believed anyone was in the house, which was under construction, when the fire broke out. No one was hurt and a cause had yet to be determined as of press time. - John McFadden/NNSL photo |
No one was hurt after flames broke out at a large, three-storey home at 144 Moyle Drive in the Niven Lake subdivision at about 11:20 p.m. Thursday night. The cause had not been determined as of press time.
Neighbours said the home was under construction.
A large crowd gathered to watch crews fight the fire. Geoffrey Chambers was one of those neighbours watching from his front yard.
"I saw the fire so I went up the street and started knocking on doors," he said. "Those people had not realized there was a fire. They then started vacating their homes."
Spencer Littlefair said he lives right next door to the house that caught fire.
"I looked out my window and I saw a big ball of fire. I was surprised that a house was burning right beside mine," Littlefair said. "It was scary. It could have happened to mine."
According to a news release from the City Of Yellowknife, a full group alert was activated, meaning all off-duty staff and paid on-call firefighters were called in to fight the fire.
A total of 24 personnel responded with two aerial pumpers, an ambulance, rescue truck and a command vehicle. The team worked until about 3 a.m.
"Flames were noted from Highway 4 as crews approached the scene. On arrival, it was noted that the fire was (in) the roof and the roof trusses. Most of the roof appeared to be involved," the news release stated.
The fire damage was limited to the roof and top floor, with smoke and water damage throughout the structure, the city stated.
The fire was contained to the single structure. There was no estimate of cost damages provided.
"Northland Utilities shut down the power to the building early in firefighting operations," the release stated. "Municipal Enforcement Division assisted with traffic control and RCMP assisted with crowd control."
On Tuesday morning, a fire destroyed a home on Bretzlaff Drive in Old Town, owned by local land developer Les Rocher. Crews were hampered in fighting the fire by the fact there are no fire hydrants in Old Town.
No one was hurt in that fire either and its cause had also not been determined as of press time.
