The Yellowknife Fire Department was called on three separate occasions to contain a fire on the north side of Latham Island in Ndilo on Tuesday afternoon, but never showed up, says resident Norman Betsina. The first call came in at about 1 p.m. after Betsina's snowmobile caught fire while his daughter was riding it.

Betsina was near the Explorer Hotel when he was alerted to the fire. He could see smoke from the blaze, he said.

Betsina said he called emergency services.

The fire department called back and said they would not respond, he said.

SA国际影视传媒淢y common-law wife answered the phone and they told her they weren't coming, then hung up,SA国际影视传媒� he said.

Using shovels and a fire extinguisher, Betsina and two friends put the fire out themselves, piling snow onto the flaming snowmobile in an effort to contain the blaze, he said.

SA国际影视传媒淲e were putting our lives at risk and we're not as equipped as the firefighters,SA国际影视传媒� said Betsina.

Betsina claims the fire department failed to respond because the blaze was located near the Yellowknives Dene First Nations community.

SA国际影视传媒淚 think it is because we are in Ndilo,SA国际影视传媒� he said.

Betsina is upset emergency services failed to respond and wants answers from the fire department and the city.

SA国际影视传媒淲e pay into all these municipal services and this is the result we get,SA国际影视传媒� said Betsina. SA国际影视传媒淲hat we should do is start our own fire department here in Ndilo.SA国际影视传媒�

Yellowknife Fire Chief John Fredericks said the fact Ndilo is an Indigenous community played no part in the department's decision not to respond.

SA国际影视传媒淚 don't know how you can look at us not responding to that call as discrimination,SA国际影视传媒� said Fredericks. SA国际影视传媒淲e've responded to many calls in Ndilo in the past... I'm sorry if any person feels that way but we have to prioritize our calls and at the time we had more important issues in the city.SA国际影视传媒�

In a Wednesday news release, Fredericks said four of the department's five crews were responding to medical emergencies when Betsina's call came in.

As there were no injuries and the snowmobile was a few dozen metres from the shores of Yellowknife Bay, a decision was made not to send the remaining crew, stated the release.

SA国际影视传媒淪ince it was on the lake we determined there was no risk to anything else in the area,SA国际影视传媒� said Fredericks. SA国际影视传媒淚f the snowmobile would have been in a garage or near houses it would have made us prioritize ourselves differently.SA国际影视传媒�

The Yellowknife Fire Department provides emergency services to the community of Ndilo, which is located within the city's municipal boundaries.