A fire that destroyed the Tagish Community Centre isn’t believed to be suspicious in nature, according to Yukon RCMP and the fire marshal.
Yukon Fire Marshal Kiara Adams told the News by phone on March 13 that the cause of the fire the day prior has yet to be determined as the investigation continues.
“It'll end up being a total loss,” she said.
“There won't be anything salvageable, or very, very little salvageable, on scene.”
The Whitehorse fire department is investigating on behalf of the Yukon Fire Marshal’s Office, per Adams.
The fire was reported around 4 a.m. on March 12, Adams said. The report came through the dispatch centre. It was called in by someone on scene and the building’s monitoring system.
The centre, which has been described as the community hub and gathering place, was “fully involved” when firefighters arrived, Adams said. In other words, most of the building was on fire when responders got there. By afternoon, she said, they had gotten the fire under control, with hot spots still being worked on.
Twenty-eight firefighters from five volunteer fire departments responded to the fire, according to Adams.
Adams isn’t aware of any firefighters choosing not to respond to this fire due to a lack of proper gear, resources or funding.
The Association of Yukon Fire Chiefs has recently raised concerns about worn out and expired personal protective equipment, or PPE, and a lack of funding and resources for the volunteer fire responders. The Yukon Party and Community Services Minister Richard Mostyn went back and forth on the matter in the legislative assembly this week. Brad Cathers, the Yukon Party MLA for Lake Laberge, told reporters he heard of volunteers responding to previous other fires with holes in their boots.
“We just want to ask that Tagish residents please avoid the area until further notice, just for safety reasons,” Adams said.
Contact Dana Hatherly at dana.hatherly@yukon-news.com
