Fire destroys former federal day school building in Taloyoak

Flames fully engulfed an unused building in Taloyoak that once served as a federal day school Saturday morning, sending plumes of smoke into the community as volunteer firefighters battled the blaze. 

Taloyoak firefighters work to contain a blaze at a former federal day school and craft shop Saturday.  (Photo by Bruce Holwell/Special to Nunatsiaq News)

The fire was reported to the RCMP at about 9 a.m. on Aug. 8, Cpl. Ashley Daley said in an email.

Ten volunteer firefighters arrived within five minutes and used two water trucks to fight the blaze, fire chief Steve Aqqaq said in an interview Tuesday.

“We were at the fire scene for about eight hours and had to return a couple times as it rekindled,” Aqqaq said.

Firefighters briefly entered the building but could only stay inside for 10 seconds because of the fire’s intensity, he said. East winds worsened the circumstances.

At one point, firefighters heard popping sounds. They exited the building and said that ammunition was stored inside. For their own safety, the crew had to back away and allow the fire to burn before they continued, Aqqaq said. It’s unclear whose ammunition was stored.

While the building that caught fire was completely destroyed, its neighbours remain standing, as firefighters were able to keep them from catching, Aqqaq said.

No injuries or evacuations were reported, Daley said.

The building had been used as a federal day school between November 1958 and April 1969, according to indiandayschools.org. Aqqaq said it later housed a craft shop but had been boarded up for “many, many years.”

The cause of the fire remains under investigation, Daley said.