Iqaluit airport fire was unintentional, says fire marshal’s office

Nunavut’s office of the fire marshal says the Iqaluit airport fire was caused by construction materials, but doesn’t say how the fire actually started. (FILE PHOTO)

Nunavut’s Office of the Fire Marshal says a preliminary investigation has found that a Sept. 5 fire at the new Iqaluit airport terminal was accidental and not deliberately set.

A Sept. 11 release from the Government of Nunavut called the fire “unintentional and caused by construction materials and equipment,” although it does not suggest how the blaze ignited.

Workers had nearly finished the exterior of the airport terminal earlier this month when its roof caught fire in the early evening of Sept. 5.

By the time firefighters were able to bring the fire under control, about nine per cent of the 100,000-square foot roof had burned, Iqaluit’s fire chief Luc Grandmaison told city council last week.

The fire department projected the cost of repairing the damages at about $1 million.

But the Government of Nunavut says an assessment is underway to come up with a more comprehensive estimate of the damages.

“At this time, it remains unclear if the fire will have any effect on the schedule for completion of the Iqaluit International Airport Improvement Project,” the GN said Sept. 11.

The GN said the fire is not expected to raise the territory’s contribution to the terminal construction.

That cost should be absorbed by the private firm, Bouygues Building Canada Inc., the Canadian subsidiary of a French multi-national corporation that is part of the consortium is building and operating the airport for 34 years at a cost of $418.9 million.