Who's investigating the Yellowknife tent pad fire? No one, according to these three government agencies

Neither the City of Yellowknife, the Northwest Territories fire marshal, or the RCMP are investigating the fire that burned down the tent and tent pad of a homeless Yellowknife resident on July 20.

The fire, which was attended by the Yellowknife fire department and territorial firefighters, started around 4:30 p.m., and was extinguished less than an hour later.

In that time, it destroyed a tent platform built less than a week prior by volunteers aiming to improve conditions for unhoused Yellowknife residents camping outside.

Dingeman van Bochove, one of the volunteers who built the platform, told CBClastSunday that the couple who were staying there had "lost everything" in the blaze.

The cause of the fire is still unknown.

According to van Bochove, neither tent pad resident John Keknek or his partner was near the location at the time, and don't know of anything on site that may have caused the fire in their absence. For that reason, Van Bochove told CBC he fears the fire may have been caused by arson.

The city of Yellowknife is leading the fire investigation, according to the N.W.T. government.

But on Thursday, city spokesperson Abby Schelew told CBC in an email that " the city of Yellowknife is not investigating the cause of the fire behind the legislative assembly building."

The RCMP also told CBC they are not investigating, saying it would be the jurisdiction of the N.W.T. fire marshal's office. They also said that they have not received any complaints of arson related to the fire.

But the incident has "not been referred to the OFM for an investigation," according to an email from Jay Boast, a spokesperson for the N.W.T. department of Municipal and Community Affairs, which oversees the Office of the Fire Marshal.

Van Bochove said that he personally would like to see an investigation, but believes the decision should rest with Keknek and his partner.