Fire destroys Iqaluit building that houses Nunavut newspaper

Flames and smoke engulf Building 157 in Iqaluit, where a fire has been burning for hours Tuesday morning. (Dave Gunn/CBC)

A fire that broke out Tuesday morning has completely destroyed a building in Iqaluit that houses a Nunavut newspaper and the territory’s language authority.

Nunatsiaq News and its sister company Ayaya Marketing and Communications both have offices in the building, along with the Inuit Uqausinginnik Taiguusiliuqtiit language authority.

Julia Roberts, assistant publisher of Nunatsiaq News, said she was told about the fire around 8 a.m. local time Tuesday morning.

“It’s quite devastating. We’ve been in that space for over 20 years,” Roberts said.

Roberts said the fire happened outside of office hours, so there was no one who works for the newspaper or Ayaya in the building at the time.

“All the staff were safe. That’s the most important thing,” she said.

There are also apartment units at the back of the building.

Both Ayaya and Nunatsiaq News staff are currently working from home, Roberts said.

In a statement, the city said the building is now fully down and is “a complete write-off.”

The city said the fire started around 8 a.m., and 20 firefighters and four bylaw officers responded. No one was injured.

It also said the cause of the fire isn’t known, but that the building’s mechanical room is a “key room of interest.”

Residents should also avoid the area around Building 157.

“Please avoid Nipisa Street for the duration of the fire, to give our firefighters the room they need to complete their job safely,” the announcement said.

The city also said water services might be disrupted because of the fire response.

Roberts said right now, she doesn’t know anything about the cause of the fire.

“We don’t know anything until we talk to the fire marshal,” she said.

As of 11 a.m., smoke was still billowing out of the building. Roberts said she doesn’t know if staff can go back inside the building.

“Once we know the status of the building itself we’ll have to look for new office space … It’s a long road ahead but the most important thing is our staff are safe,” Roberts said.

This article is republished from RCI.