Teens sought after fire at Rankin Inlet dump
Fire Chief Mark Wyatt says blaze was intentionally set; crews extinguished it in just over three hours
The Rankin Inlet fire department received calls about a fire at the hamlet dump around 9 p.m. Tuesday. (Photo courtesy of the Rankin Inlet Fire Rescue EMS)
Rankin Inlet authorities hope to speak with two teens seen running from a fire at the dump Tuesday night that fire Chief Mark Wyatt says was intentionally set.
In an interview, Wyatt said the hamlet’s fire department was alerted to the fire around 9 p.m. Seven firefighters and the public works team responded, and the fire spread but was extinguished by approximately 12:30 a.m. on Wednesday.
Now, he said, the hamlet is looking for teens who may have been involved.
No suspects have been identified yet. On Facebook, the fire department asked anyone with information on the fire to contact it at 2598. It’s not known yet whether police are investigating.
Wyatt said dump fires can be challenging because of the weather and limited access to water.
Fire Chief Mark Wyatt says a dump fire Tuesday night was intentionally set, but no suspect has been identified yet. (Photo courtesy of the Rankin Inlet Fire Rescue EMS)
“There’s a tremendous amount of smoke that comes along with a fire like that. And when the winds shifts, the smoke blows into town,” he said.
“We’re also limited because we don’t have a water source, so we’ve got to keep bringing up the hamlet water trucks to continue to supply us with water in order to get the fire out.”
He said dump fires are often intentionally set by young people, sometimes just because they are bored. He encouraged parents to talk to their children about it.
“It’s not necessarily the parents’ fault or anything … but we just need to discourage it,” Wyatt said.
So many rotten kids. Only in the north do you hear of this magnitude of arson. I understand that Wyatt won’t blame the parents because it looks bad, but 100% they should be to blame !
Don’t kid yourself we have lots of arsons in Edmonton and surrounding towns in Alberta it is not just a northern problem. Derelict buildings where homeless and addicts congregate starting fires in the winter to keep warm.
Do half the schools get burned down in Edmonton? Office buildings? To the point where GN assets are uninsurable? Do tell?
This is just another example of Rankin Inlet wanting to be more like Iqaluit. Iqaluit’s dump always seems to catch fire and these youth’s just want their town to be more like Iqaluit.
Everyone needs dreams.
Why waste resources fighting the dump fire which does not go anywhere. Let it burn and get rid of some of the piles of garbage. Same goes for Iqaluit.
Why would any community want to be like Iqaluit?lol
What town wouldn’t like to be like them, they are the best! Look at the way they have let all infrastructure fall a part so the Feds can step in and save the day. Plus they have a cool pool.
Follow in the steps of Iqaluit and let it all fall apart and let other levels of government save the day. Plus the mayor punches people. Does Rankin Inlet’s mayor punch people?
Dream to be Iqaluit.
First it’s dump fires, what next? Its disgusting that these teens did this because they are bored. You are bored? pick up garbage around the town and spark positive movement! And these firefighters spent over 3 hours trying to extinguish it. There is a difference between controlled burning vs arson.
Monkey see monkey do.