Three shacks, one container, but no homes ruined in accidental fire

A pile of charred rubble and curled aluminum siding on two nearby houses are the only remnants of last Wednesday’s fierce fire in Kuujjuaq — a fire which shows the need for more fire prevention programs and firefighting capacity in the region.

Kuujjuaq’s long-time fire chief Ian Robertson said he was just starting to eat supper when he noticed a column of dark smoke drifting to the sky. Before the first alarm sounded at his house at 6:55 p.m., Robertson had already pushed his meal aside and was heading to the fire station.

Within 10 minutes, Robertson and eight other volunteer firefighters were dressed in gear and fighting the worst blaze Kuujjuaq has seen in six years.

Driven by strong winds, the fire started in one wooden shed and quickly spread to two others and a container.

Firefighters immediately set to work, using wet foam to stop the fire from spreading.

Robertson said the extreme heat and high winds made the job tough.

However, he said that if the wind had been blowing from another direction, the fire would have easily spread to several homes and shacks.

As the black smoke billowed up during the height of the fire, members of the Kativik Regional Police Force kept curious Kuujjuammiut at bay. A gasp rose from the crowd as propane tanks exploded, throwing up roiling flames and hot pieces of metal high into the sky.

After 45 minutes, the firefighters manage to bring the fire under control. An hour after the first alarm sounded, all that remained of the sheds were a few smoking sticks.

Also damaged or lost in the fire was a container and sheds filled with an outfitters’ hunting gear, including all-terrain vehicles, canoes and snowmobiles.

Police say two unsupervised young boys started a fire with gasoline, which quickly spread from one shed to another.

Robertson said the number of accidentally-set fires has decreased in Kuujjuaq during the 25 years he has been a firefighter in the community. He attributes the decrease to awareness campaigns about the dangers of playing with fire.

Mayor Larry Watt said he intends to remind residents about fire safety during his community radio update.

Watt also said Kuujjuaq will plot out where other storage units are located around the community and what they contain, so guards can regularly check on their safety and firefighters can react with the appropriate fire-fighting tools if a fire breaks out.

Meanwhile, the Kativik Regional Government is still waiting on word from Quebec about the fate of its “fire safety cover plan.”

This report says Quebec needs to spend $4.5 million in order to bring Nunavik’s equipment and infrastructure up to par.
The plan makes 17 recommendations, calling for training, prevention, education and more money so volunteer firefighters can be paid for at least 60 hours of work annually.