‘Pretty much a shock situation’: former manager reacts to building lost to fire
‘It still doesn’t feel real yet,’ manager of marketing and communications company says
A woman looks at what used to be the Nunatsiaq News office building. The site is a pile of rubble after fire Tuesday destroyed the two-storey building that was home to several businesses and an apartment. (Photo by Dave Lochead)
A day after watching the building he worked in burn down, Jason Roberts said the damage caused by the blaze has yet to sink in.
“It still doesn’t feel real yet,” he said.
On Tuesday around 8 a.m., a fire broke out at Building 157. The building housed several businesses, including Nunatsiaq News and its sister company Ayaya Marketing and Communications.
It was also home to Inuit Uqausinginnik Taiguusiliuqtiit, a language authority organization responsible for documenting and sharing expertise on the Inuit language, and two residential tenants.
Fire crews pour water on the blaze at 157 Nipisa St. in Iqaluit on Tuesday. The building housed Nunatsiaq News among several tenants. (Photo by David Lochead)
Roberts, who is managing director of Ayaya Communications, recounted the day fire destroyed his office. He said he was alerted around 8 a.m. by someone who lived near the building that the blue two-storey building was on fire.
He rushed to the scene, which is a bit south of the Arctic Ventures store, to see smoke billowing out of the back door with two fire trucks already there.
At some point that morning, Roberts saw firefighters on top of the building. He took it as a sign the fire might soon be over.
“But it seemed like that was just the beginning,” he said.
By 11 a.m., the building was engulfed in flames. Shortly before 4 p.m. the fire was finally extinguished, according to a City of Iqaluit release.
Ayaya will continue to operate and work remotely in Iqaluit, Roberts said, adding the company’s office in Ottawa will be “a huge help.”
The company will wait to see what happens in terms of future office space in Iqaluit, he added.
Nadia Ciccone, a former managing director at Ayaya, spent more than 20 years working at Building 157.
“Yesterday, I was pretty much in a shock situation,” Ciccone said in a phone interview.
“I met so many people at that building,” she added.
Ciccone said she met everyone there from politicians running for office to actor Salma Hayek, who was in Nunavut in 2005 for an event to draw attention to climate change.
Outside of the people who walked through the building, Ciccone also spoke about the benefit of the location.
“The view is spectacular,” said Ciccone, whose second-floor office overlooked the city’s bay.
On Wednesday, the City of Iqaluit said in a news release it plans to do fire remediation around the area on Thursday, with the activity occurring until completed. That meant remediation on the creek snowmobile trail adjacent to Kuugalaak Street. Residents were advised to avoid the area.
Nunatsiaq News contacted RCMP and Nunavut’s fire marshal to learn if their investigation has revealed the cause of the fire but neither organization responded Wednesday.
Nunatsiaq News requested an interview with Northview REIT, the property’s owner, about the fire, but the company did not respond Wednesday.
Unfortunate event indeed. For so many reasons. And now those still waiting for their bilingual language allowance will have to wait that much longer.
A building burnt down, some people lost nearly everything, and you’re concerned about getting a bilingual bonus? Yuck.
If you have some issue with the bilingual bonus; why don’t you and a group of your peers organize yourself; hire lawyers and consultants and fight your government for these rights; like Inuit did. It’s hard when another culture feels superior but if you are resilient and willing to put in the work for your people; willing to spend decades lobbying your government; you can help your people and culture thrive! Believe it!
I’d be glad if no one died or burned seriously.
How is this comment, while well written, in any way related to the article?