Nunavut fires caused $53M in damage in 2011

Fires caused more damage in Nunavut last year than in the previous four combined, according to statistics released by the territorys Office of the Fire Marshal.

The fire marshal offices 2011 annual report says there were 150 fires in Nunavut last year and they caused 14 injuries and $53 million in damage, up from 121 fires and $4 million in damage in 2010.

Nearly half the damage about $24 million was the result of the 39 fires in Iqaluit in 2011, including the blaze atBuilding 4100 in the city's Road to Nowhere subdivision, which left 24 Government of Nunavut employees and their families homeless.

Iqaluit firefighter Blaine Heffernan said the Fire Marshal's annual report held no surprises.

"We've been receiving a higher call volume, not only with fires, but ambulance calls," he said. "So our staffing levels have increased to accommodate the nature of those calls."

The most common acts that caused fires were "misuse of source of ignition" and "incendiary fires," causing 44 per cent of all fires in 2011. The report says this is due in large part to youth setting fires in Nunavut communities.

Smokers material or open flames were the igniting objects in 70 of the 150 fires.Twenty-one fires were ignited by cooking equipment and 12 by heating equipment, the next highest causes.

The reports also says some of the increase in the number of fires is due to a more accurate recording system and a request forall types of fires to be reported to the Fire Marshal.