Blaze damages St. Pat's Church
Weekend religious services cancelled, flea market closed indefinitely, says pastor
Joseph Tunney
Northern News Services
Monday, June 6, 2016
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Firefighters beat back a blaze that broke out at St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Church hall early Saturday morning near 52 Street. Firefighters rushed to scale the building with a ladder at 4:25 a.m.
About one dozen bystanders gathered to watch the battle, some of whom told News/North they had seen flames rise from the building but that the approximately 20-person crew made quick work of the fire, which damaged the area surrounding the entrance to the St. Pat's flea market behind the church.
The team used a combination of water hose and what appeared to be foam spray to douse the flames on the upper wall and roof.
A propane tank alongside the back of the hall was untouched by the flames.
Several RCMP officers blocked the adjacent intersections.
"The flea market will probably be out of commission for a little bit," said Bernie Black, administrative pastor at the church, who was awoken by fire crews arriving around 4:30 a.m. "There will not be (church services) this weekend."
Services are uncertain next weekend, as well, he added.
Although the flames seemed to have been concentrated near the entrance to the flea market, smoke did enter the church, according to Black.
Smoke coming from the smoldering building could still be seen after 5 a.m.
The financial cost of the fire and smoke damage is not yet known, said Black.
"We have to figure out what's up in those walls before (the fire crews) give us an estimate," he said.
The City of Yellowknife had not released details about the fire as of press time.
