Nunavut fire marshal investigates fatal Iqaluit shack fire

Iqaluit firefighters work on a blaze that destroyed an inhabited shack on Iqaluit’s beach Dec. 18 and killed one person, who is not yet identified. (FILE PHOTO)

The Nunavut fire marshal and RCMP gather evidence at the remains of a shack fire on Iqaluit’s beach strip behind the Northmart store. Responders found a body in the Dec. 18 fire, but investigators say they do not consider the blaze to be suspicious. (PHOTO BY PETER VARGA)

The Nunavut Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating a fire that burned through a shack on the beachfront in Iqaluit, Dec. 18, and killed one person.

RCMP are assisting in the investigation. Police on patrol discovered the fire at around 9:00 p.m. Firefighters found a body within the debris, which investigators could not identify.

“There is no identification of the body right now,” said RCMP Cpl. Jimmy MacEachern, who was on the scene Dec. 19, early in the day, to help Nunavut Fire Marshal Robert Prima.

“At this point, there hasn’t been a determination of anything suspicious,” MacEachern said. “There is no criminal investigation at this time.”

The Office of the Chief Coroner is also assisting in the investigation, and will assess the results of an autopsy, Prima said.

The fire marshal said he has not yet determined the cause of the blaze.

“There’s always a reason for a fire, and we’ll find it some place,” said Prima, who confirmed the incident did not appear to be suspicious.

“We’ve collected evidence, and we’ll determine from that after,” he said.

In the morning after the fire, the area around the large shack was strewn with burnt pieces of wood and what appeared to be pieces of furniture.