Naujaat fire damages materials for 8-unit housing project

A fire in Naujaat destroyed one-third of the construction materials intended for an eight-unit public housing project Wednesday night.

A resident watches as plumes of black smoke rise from a fire at an NCC Development construction site in Naujaat on Wednesday. (Photo by Clifford Kringuk)

The fire started around 7:45 p.m. Wednesday at the construction site, the community’s senior administrative officer Chantal Pelletier said in an interview Friday. 

Five firefighters responded to the blaze, using three water trucks and two loaders. The fire was extinguished in about an hour and a half, with crews having to move materials to reach the base of the fire, Pelletier said.

Firefighters then monitored the site for about 12 hours. No one was injured, she added.

Nunavut Housing Corp. said Thursday it is aware of the fire and confirmed that construction materials for the public housing project were damaged.

“NHC officials are working with the project contractor and local authorities to fully assess the extent of the damage,” the corporation’s communications department said in an emailed statement sent by Winter Fedyk.

NHC said it is waiting for the fire chief’s official report. Once the site can be safely accessed, housing corporation staff and the contractor will conduct a detailed assessment of the damage.

The project was originally scheduled to be completed in June 2027. NHC said it is too early to determine whether the fire will affect that timeline.

“Despite these challenges, NHC will work closely with the contractor to identify steps to keep the project moving forward,” the corporation’s statement said. 

The project is being built by NCC Development, the main contractor for the territorial government’s Nunavut 3000 housing initiative, which aims to build 3,000 new housing units across the territory between 2022 and 2030.

NCC president Juanie Pudluk said in an email that he did not have a comment at this time.