Bright orange flames and a thick plume of black smoke made for a dramatic scene in Gjoa Haven on March 26 as fire destroyed the communitySA国际影视传媒檚 Government Building.
SA国际影视传媒淚t looked bad,SA国际影视传媒� Gjoa Haven MLA Tony Akoak said of the devastating emergency. SA国际影视传媒淚t was awful to see.SA国际影视传媒�
The ensuing scramble has caused some GN services that were formerly hosted in the 6,400-square-foot building to alter procedures while other services are temporarily suspended.
The blaze started on Saturday afternoon. Fire chief Hector Nargyak made a public plea for residents to stay away from the intense fire as the volunteer brigade was waiting for the buildingSA国际影视传媒檚 fuel tank to SA国际影视传媒渃alm down.SA国际影视传媒�
Nargyak informed the community that night that the fire was out of control and it would be left to burn on the advice of the assistant fire marshal.
SA国际影视传媒淲e were told to just let it go,SA国际影视传媒� he stated, adding that would provide overnight security at the site.
Akoak offered praise for the firefightersSA国际影视传媒� efforts.
SA国际影视传媒淚SA国际影视传媒檓 so happy with the firefighters SA国际影视传媒� they were at the fire for over 12 hours. They must be pretty tired,SA国际影视传媒� he said. SA国际影视传媒淭hey couldnSA国际影视传媒檛 save the building but at least they kept everybody safe.SA国际影视传媒�
Mayor Megan Porter also applauded everyone who worked SA国际影视传媒渢irelessly.SA国际影视传媒�
SA国际影视传媒淥ur local fire department and municipal service staff worked so very hard to control the blaze, even though a number of them are dealing with their own personal situations of loss and grief. To the and hamlet staff who assisted with ground control, communications and evacuation notices, the hamlet staff, volunteers and the Northern store who assisted with meal and beverage preparations, and the public for diligently following the guidance to avoid the area when asked to do so, thank you,SA国际影视传媒� Porter stated. SA国际影视传媒淲hile the building may be a total loss, our community came together in a time of need, regardless of our individual situations and indifferences. ISA国际影视传媒檓 very proud of each and every one of you. No lives were lost, no serious injuries sustained.SA国际影视传媒�
The building SA国际影视传媒� opened in 1999 and located in a central part of the community, near the high school and arena SA国际影视传媒� was a workplace for 10 employees in various GN departments and was a SA国际影视传媒渢elecommunications hub,SA国际影视传媒� containing Gjoa HavenSA国际影视传媒檚 main fibre connection, workstations, community data centre, servers, and telephone and video conferencing services, according to Community and Government Services (CGS). On March 28, CGS Minister David Joanasie extended his gratitude to employees working to restore services and to residents for their SA国际影视传媒渃ontinued flexibility during this challenging time.SA国际影视传媒� He added that additional staff and resources would be sent to the community.
The GN was assessing the internal and external losses as a result of the blaze last week and would introduce work-from-home measures, where possible, in the interim, according to the minister. The communitySA国际影视传媒檚 continuing care centre will temporarily act as a home for the primary data centre. Network operations are anticipated to be re-established by March 31 while infrastructure, servers and backup restores are anticipated to be re-established by April 1, CGS noted.
The last condition assessment on the Government Building was performed on Dec. 22, 2017, according to CGS.
CGS stated that the Nunavut Fire MarshalSA国际影视传媒檚 Office is investigating the fire and has no comment on a possible cause as of March 30.
The GNSA国际影视传媒檚 March 28 update stated that the Department of Education would partner with the district education authority to establish a temporary fire watch for both schools, beginning on March 28.
Fact file
Affected services
Department of Economic Development and Transportation:
- In-person motor vehicles services in Gjoa Haven are suspended, including the issuing of drivers licences, general identification cards, and driver examinations.
- Residents of Gjoa Haven can visit www.gov.nu.ca/motorvehicles or email MotorVehicles@gov.nu.ca regarding drivers licence renewals, general identification card renewals and vehicle registration renewals; requests for driverSA国际影视传媒檚 abstracts, vehicle searches and accident reports.
Department of Health:
- The Community Health Centre will operate with some service reductions due to landlines, fax machines and digital services such as Meditech being unavailable. The department is sending laptops and data sticks to reconnect staff to Meditech and other digital services.
- Staff will continue to provide services and respond to community needs using cellphones and paper charts.
- Diagnostic imaging continues, but there may be a delay in physician review until digital services are restored.
Department of Education:
- Devices previously distributed to Gjoa Haven school staff for use during Covid-19 lockdowns will be available for staff to access GN email and the Student Information System.
Department of Justice:
- Delays may be expected for some services, including financial processing, legal aid application and legal aid approval processes.
Department of Family Services:
- To access the Family Wellness division in Gjoa Haven, please call 867-222-3906 to connect with a social worker on-call or 1-844-392-4453 to connect with the territory-wide contact.
- To contact an income assistance worker in Gjoa Haven, please call 867-202-4194 or 1-800-661-0845 to reach the regional office.
- Beginning in April, income assistance will return to regular assessments. Clients can come to the Income Support Office to speak to staff and complete the necessary documents. Payments will be issued remotely from the regional office and will be available direct-to-store.
