Fire destroys Prelude Lake home
Homeowner made an attempt to put the fire out on his own
John McFadden
Northern News Services
Wednesday, February 22, 2017
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
No one was hurt in a fire that completely destroyed a home Monday morning inside Prelude Lake Territorial Park, about 30 kilometres northeast of Yellowknife.
Yvan Brien talks on a cellphone as he watches fire consume his home inside Prelude Territorial Park on Monday morning. No one was hurt but the house burned to the ground. According to the city, the fire was sparked by a heater being used to thaw pipes. - John McFadden/NNSL photo |
Homeowner Yvan Brien said he made an attempt to put the fire out on his own but was unable to get at it with his fire extinguisher because it was in the middle of the house and there was too much smoke to reach it.
"I went around to see what was going on but I couldn't get in there so I grabbed a coat and a pair of boots at the entrance," Brien said.
"I am shocked. There is quite a bit of stuff gone. We just moved here and love it here."
Brien, who owns YB Services, a heavy truck and equipment repair business in Kam Lake, said he and his wife had just moved into the home about a year and a half ago.
He said at this point he intends to rebuild.
On the upside, Brien said he was able to save a nearby shed where tools were stored. That building was scorched but no damage was done inside.
"We have another home on the east coast and we have taken a lot of stuff over there. A lot of stuff is in our sea can because we didn't want to clutter this place up - we wanted to give it a cottage feel," Brien said.
"I had some taxidermy stuff, some pictures ... some valuables. This shed caught on fire and I did everything to stop it because I have all my dad's tools in there ... I didn't want to lose that. That to me was worth more than the contents of the house."
Neighbour Dale Ross was watching firemen put out hot spots after the house had been reduced to smouldering rubble.
"It takes time for the fire department to get here. It took about three-quarters of an hour from the time they got the call until they got here," he said.
"That's pretty good considering where we are located but it still takes time. Fire is very dangerous out here."
Ross said residents have a protocol to help each other when something goes wrong. He said he heard about the fire via an e-mail from a fellow resident in the area.
"The e-mail said that Yvan was OK and that the fire department was on its way," he said.
According to a news release from the city, the fire was sparked by a heater placed under the home to thaw frozen drain pipes.
The fire department received the call at about 8:30 a.m.
According to the release, the caller stated the underside of the home was fully engulfed in flames.
Fire crews responded with a team of five, including a pumper-tanker and an ambulance.
The fire department initiated a full group alert whereby all off-duty staff and paid on call firefighters were called in to backfill at the fire hall for immediate response to any potential calls within city limits.
"Black smoke was noted on approach to the scene - the home was in the final stages of free burn on arrival with only the back porch still standing," the release stated.
Due to the width of the road, the pumper tanker was unable to access the scene. Hose lines were stretched to reach the fire and extinguish it.
Yellowknife's new fire chief John Fredericks was also at the scene observing some of the challenges his crews face when fighting fires in remote, isolated areas.
