Iqaluit RCMP seek help identifying “person of interest” in connection with Apex tupiq fire

The Iqaluit RCMP wants the public’s help to identify a “person of interest” in the fire that burned Nanook School’s tupiq to the ground on Friday, May 24.

The RCMP has distributed a video that shows a person walking by the school’s swing sets toward the tent on the night of the fire. The individual is wearing a dark jacket, a grey hood, blue baggy jeans and a black backpack with white writing.

Iqaluit firefighters were called to the tent fire at about 1:30 a.m. in the morning of May 24. The RCMP deemed the fire to be arson as of May 29, but the police have made no arrests.

Iqaluit firefighters were called to the tent fire at about 1:30 a.m. on May 24, but the 15-by-21-foot wood and canvas structure was destroyed. (Photo by Emma Tranter)

The RCMP also believes that the occupant(s) of a vehicle driven by the area that night may have been in contact with the individual. Police would like to contact the occupant(s) of that vehicle as potential witnesses, according to a June 7 news release.

The tupiq was built outside Nanook School last year and served as a focal point for the school’s new land-based outdoor education program, called Nuna School.

Shortly after the fire, the school launched an online fundraiser in an effort to rebuild the structure.

Police would like anyone with information about the identity of the person in the video to contact the RCMP at 867-979-0123 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.