The city of Yellowknife reported that two fires took place Thursday, beginning in the early morning hours at a 48 Street building downtown. The Yellowknife Fire Division, the Municipal Enforcement Division and the RCMP worked swiftly to respond and successfully extinguish the fires. One person is reported to have suffered minor injuries.
In a statement released Friday, city officials said that at 2:07 a.m. on May 29, the Yellowknife Fire Division responded to a report of visible flames on the third floor of Franklin House, located at 5009 48 Street.
“Upon arrival, firefighters observed flames emerging from a third-floor window. Crews acted swiftly, applying water to suppress the fire. Building evacuation efforts had already commenced prior to YKFD’s arrival,” said officials.
Firefighters entered the building and made their way up to the third floor, where they were able to successfully extinguish the fire inside the affected apartment unit.
Fire officials reported that the fire was contained within the one apartment unit of origin.
One person, who is a tenant in the building, sustained minor burns. The person was treated on site and did not require hospital transport. No other injuries were reported.
Fire crews and officials determined that the fire originated from a window-mounted air conditioning unit. The cause is not considered suspicious, said city officials.
Residents of the building were able to re-enter the building within about one hour and 30 minutes of the fire being extinguished.
Just a few hours later, at 7:36 a.m., the Yellowknife Fire Division responded to multiple reports of visible flames near the Pilot’s Monument in Old Town.
“Upon arrival, firefighters located a small wooden structure approximately 400 feet from the road, estimated to be 20 by 10 feet in size. The structure had been largely consumed by fire, and nearby brush had begun to ignite,” Fire crew reported.
Crews mobilized quickly and were able to successfully bring the fire under control and extinguish the fire.
“(Crews) conducted a thorough overhaul of the area to ensure all hot spots were fully extinguished and cooled,” said Fire officials. Firefighters remained on scene for about one hour.
Officials said the cause of the fire remains undetermined, but is not considered suspicious. No injuries were reported.
