Adverse weather conditions added to the challenge Iqaluit firefighters faced while fighting the raging Noble House apartment building fire on Mivvik Street that ultimately left 36 tenants and their families homeless, said Fire Chief Steve McGean. 

Nineteen firefighters SA国际影视传媒� full-time staff and volunteers SA国际影视传媒� answered the call around dinner time on Jan. 8 and worked for hours trying to extinguish the massive blaze, McGean said. 

SA国际影视传媒淲hat really hampered us was the wind and weather conditions that evening, you know, with the wind gusting to almost 60 kilometres an hour, and with a windchill of almost like -35 C, -40 C,SA国际影视传媒� McGean said.

SA国际影视传媒淔irefighters that were on hoses or on the exterior of the building, working the fire trucks, we had to swap them out regularly to make sure that everybody was staying warm and that nobody was trying to overdo it and come down with any hypothermia or frostbite issues,SA国际影视传媒� he said of the daunting task.

McGean said no residents of the apartment building needed rescue from within the structure.

SA国际影视传媒淚n the first half of the building where the fire originated, we cleared those rooms immediately, so there was nobody from the Delta, Echo or Foxtrot apartments in there. And we finished clearing the rest of the building shortly thereafter,SA国际影视传媒� he said, adding that smoke conditions were progressing.

Some residents who tried to go back inside the building to retrieve some of their belongings had to be escorted out by firefighters, he added.

Fighting the flames

The flames were embedded in the walls and ceiling, making the blaze difficult to extinguish, according to the fire chief. 

SA国际影视传媒淚t was almost like trying to find a needle in a haystack, along with the smoke and the heat conditions,SA国际影视传媒� he said of the  fire scene. 

SA国际影视传媒淎nd then it intensified probably roughly around 8:30 or 9 p.m., so two-and-a-half, almost three hours into it, is when the flames finally burst through the back wall.
SA国际影视传媒淎nd that's when we had the fight on our hands,SA国际影视传媒� McGean recounted.

Eventually, the flames were contained as the structure collapsed and no longer posed a danger to nearby buildings, he said. 

The large, 37-unit apartment building was located near the end of the airport runway towards the bay side. 

Firefighters later returned to the rubble with the backhoe and to ensure all the hot spots were extinguished so no materials could reignite.

SA国际影视传媒淏y the end of this week, they will be able to start moving the material and get it shuttled to the metal dump here in Iqaluit,SA国际影视传媒� he said on Jan. 20.

The entire scene is roped off and McGean said the area is now in control of the key-holder of the building SA国际影视传媒� Northview. 

SA国际影视传媒淲e did an investigation in coordination with the , and then under the Fire Marshal's Office. We're saying that it's still under investigation and undetermined at this time,SA国际影视传媒� McGean said of the cause.

Significant risk

McGean said there is always risk when encountering such a scene. 

SA国际影视传媒淲eSA国际影视传媒檝e had quite a few big fires over the years that ISA国际影视传媒檝e been here,SA国际影视传媒� he said of his 3.5 years in Iqaluit, noting that a dental clinic building under construction and the former Nunatsiaq News building both were demolished by flames.

SA国际影视传媒淥ur job is risk, but risk mitigation is my job to ensure that we are watching the smoke conditions and then getting reports back from the crew that we're making sound and safe choices for any community members that might be stuck in a building, and also to ensure the safety of my firefighters. 

SA国际影视传媒淭hat's first and foremost in the front of my mind: my firefightersSA国际影视传媒� safety and the residentsSA国际影视传媒� safety.SA国际影视传媒�