Kugluktuk warehouse destroyed in fire, no one injured

The Nunavut community of Kugluktuk has been hit with another fire — this time a warehouse was destroyed.

No one was injured and no other buildings were damaged.

Early Thursday morning the fire department and hamlet responded to a fire at the small warehouse that's used by the Arctic Co-operatives store.

"It was totally destroyed," said Don Leblanc, Kugluktuk's senior administrative officer, adding that "firefighters did a great job, and the fire was out in about two hours."

Leblanc, who watched the fire, said it spread quickly through the building because of its contents, but was mostly smoking and there was never any danger of it affecting nearby buildings.

But, with the level of damage, the warehouse was starting to collapse and fire crews were forced to knock it down.

Clothing, mattresses lost

The fire is only a "minor setback" for the community, said Colin Laidlaw, director of operations with Arctic Co-operatives.

"It appears to be a total loss in terms of inventory," he said. "Primarily it was mattresses and clothing, nothing grocery-based. So there's no immediate need to recover grocery products for the community." 

Laidlaw said a special shipment is set to be delivered to the community on Sept. 9 and 10. 

"We'll probably look at a temporary warehousing solution, possibly some additional seacans. But it's not of great concern to the community."

The last fire in Kugluktuk was on Aug. 1 at an unoccupied house undergoing renovations.

RCMP charged a man in the community with arson for that fire, which had also started early in the morning, around 4 a.m.

• Kugluktuk man charged with arson for fire at empty house

RCMP and the fire marshal's office are investigating.