Fire that destroyed Tsiigehtchic, N.W.T. home 'most likely' suspicious

A home in Tsiigehtchic, N.W.T. burned to the ground Saturday in an early morning blaze the community's fire chief says is "most likely" suspicious.

"We could not save the house because it was already in full burn, from inside out," said Albert Ross, chief of the volunteer fire department, who received a call about the fire at 4:23 a.m.

Minutes later, when he reached the scene near Church Hill — a prominent hill that overlooks the confluence of the Arctic Red and Mackenzie rivers — other firefighters were already there with the fire truck and water truck.

"[The fire] was going very fast, because we had some wind," he said.

Crews focused on preventing the fire from spreading, Ross said, though at one point it did burn through "just two sheets of plywood" belonging to a nearby warehouse.

"We just put out part of it and let it burn for a little while, and then I went back there later for a couple hours with a full water truck and used the whole water truck on what's left of the building."

Resident 'lost everything'

Ross said no one was injured, but a man living in the home has been displaced. Some people are starting to collect clothes and things to help the individual get by, he said.

"He lost everything in the fire. Everything that he owns has been completely burnt," he said.

Ross said the fire was "most likely" suspicious, and he expected to hear back Saturday about whether the fire marshal would be investigating.