Fire damages Sanikiluaq community hall

A fire at Sanikiluaq’s community hall has caused smoke damage to the entire building, say community leaders.

The fire was reported early Monday and firefighters were on site by 7:30 a.m. They were able to contain the blaze within a couple of hours, said Ron Ladd, the community’s senior administrative officer.

The fire appears to have started in the mechanical room and was contained to that area, said Ladd. It caused smoke damage to the rest of the building.

The community hall is expected to remain closed for the next four months due to the fire, and the closing will affect the community in a number of ways.

The Nunavut Court of Justice was scheduled to convene at the community hall Monday afternoon, according to Mark Mossey, executive legal officer with the court.

“All matters will now be administratively adjourned at 1:30 p.m. until tomorrow morning at 9:30 a.m.,” Mossey said in an email.

Court of Justice representatives will work with the community to determine whether court proceedings can continue at that point, he said.

As well, the community’s recreation centre is located within the community hall and is used “every day, every night,” said Emily Kattuk, Sanikiluaq’s acting mayor.

“It’s going to affect a lot of kids.”

The hamlet had just finished summer camps and was gearing up for winter camps.

Plans are already underway to “hold some of our activities at the high school and at the public school,” said Ladd.

The soccer field is being considered as an alternative for public sports.

Nine firefighters were on hand to fight the blaze, along with four personnel stationed with the water trucks, Ladd said. Crews remained on site for the rest of the morning to monitor for flare-ups.