Firefighters douse burning vehicles in Iqaluit parking lot
RCMP says fire was ‘deliberate’; No injuries reported
Two vehicles sit burned and abandoned in a parking lot on the west side of Iqaluit’s core area following a fire earlier this summer. (Photo by Jeff Pelletier)
A fire that destroyed two derelict vehicles in an Iqaluit parking lot Wednesday night was “deliberate,” RCMP spokesperson Cpl. George Henrie says.
The RCMP is investigating, he added, and officers have interviewed witnesses but no charges had been laid as of Thursday afternoon.
Firefighters responded to a report of a fire in a parking lot on Allannguaq Street in the west side of the city’s core area just before 9 p.m. They remained on scene for about 45 minutes, said City of Iqaluit spokesperson Geoff Byrne.
At 9 p.m., a black cloud of smoke could be seen from across the city. But within 10 minutes, it had faded.
“No injuries were reported,” Byrne said.
First responders weren’t able to take the direct route from the fire hall, down Mivvik Street and to the parking lot, due to ongoing roadwork.
However, the detour had “minimal” impact, as drivers gave them the right of way, Byrne said.
A cloud of smoke rises from an Iqaluit parking lot after two derelict vehicles were set ablaze Wednesday night, the RCMP says. (Photo by Jeff Pelletier)
“Community members quickly moved aside for our emergency vehicles, which helped with response time,” he said.
It was not the first time this month that Iqaluit firefighters and the RCMP responded to a report of burning vehicles.
On Aug. 1, two derelict cars in Tundra Ridge were severely damaged by fire, and several others sustained minor damage.
Two young people were hospitalized for smoke inhalation and the RCMP is asking anyone with information to help with its investigation.
Henrie said the RCMP believes the fires last week and this week are not linked.
Byrne said he’s unsure why several vehicles have been set ablaze recently in Iqaluit.
“We are uncertain about the cause of multiple vehicular fires this summer, but appreciate residents for being vigilant and alerting emergency services when they notice fire or smoke,” he said.
This town is getting out of hand, even though we got used to the out of hand it already is today but it just keeps getting worse.
With all the public drunkenness, drunk drivers, people breaking into vehicles and homes, fights, just a lot of angry and unhealthy behaviours that seem to be increasing every day.
What is going on here and why is it so bad and yet our so called leaders chose to ignore this situation and pretend everything is okay.
Where is our MLAs? Our Ministers and Premier? Why are we doing something about all of this? More people will get run over by all the drunk driving that goes on daily, fires and so on.
We really need better leadership not the fake ones we have to pretend everything is fun and dandy. 🙄
Im just someone that likes to read news from Nunavut and see the problems there communities face compared to the rest of the country. I really dont understand this statement though “Byrne said he’s unsure why several vehicles have been set ablaze recently in Iqaluit.” I feel like its a pretty obvious answer that its cheaper to burn them than pay the fee to get rid of them. and Iqaluit is one of the most expensive cities in the world. Am I missing something here ?