Overnight Iqaluit fire damages building used by GN

Two Government of Nunavut departments were left without access to one of their main office sites Friday after an overnight fire damaged the 1084 Aeroplex building in Iqaluit.

The fire department responded to the scene, which is across from city hall at 1084 Mivvik St., at 3:30 a.m. with 14 staff firefighters, said city spokesperson Geoffrey Byrne.

No injuries were reported and there is no information on the cause of the fire or how large an area inside the building was affected, Byrne said.

The structure sustained minor damage, including water damage from fire suppression sprinklers, he said. The smell of smoke was still strong at the front door late Friday morning.

People were asked to stay away from the building, which will be closed until further notice according to a Government of Nunavut public service announcement Friday.

The fire is under investigation, said RCMP spokesperson Sgt. Maj. Pauline Melanson in an email.

The building on Mivvik Streeet was one of the main offices for the Department of Executive and Intergovernmental Affairs and the Department of Culture and Heritage.

The offices are now “off-limits” with most of the employees being given the day off, said Casey Lessard, spokesperson for the Department of Executive and Intergovernmental Affairs, over the phone from his home office.

Lessard said the Government of Nunavut’s Department of Community and Government Services is looking for a new office space for the employees of the two departments.