A fire took place along an access road between Yellowknife’s Anderson Thomson Tower and 51 Street in the early hours of Sunday.
Peter Adourian, a lawyer who has represented some people at encampments in Yellowknife, was able to see the fire from his home.
He described it as an encampment fire. Multiple residents contacting Cabin Radio said they had heard a loud explosion in the area shortly before 3am, followed by smoke.
“The humanitarian crisis in our streets continues,” Adourian said in an early Sunday email reporting the fire.
He said police and fire crews had left the scene by 3:25am.
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RCMP said an officer patrolling downtown had noticed black smoke coming from the area and police had called the fire division.
In a Monday news release after this article was first published, the City of Yellowknife said firefighters arrived to find a tent on fire, “quickly brought the fire under control and remained on scene to ensure the area was safe before concluding operations.”
“There were no injuries reported, and the fire was contained to the tents, preventing it from spreading to the surrounding trees, brush, or nearby structures. The cause of the fire remains under investigation,” the city stated, noting there is a fire ban currently in place.
Police said the fire is not considered suspicious.
