After the fire: Kugaaruk attempts to rebound after losing only school - Action News
Home WebMail Tuesday, November 26, 2024, 12:47 PM | Calgary | -8.3°C | Regions Advertise Login | Our platform is in maintenance mode. Some URLs may not be available. |
NorthPhotos

After the fire: Kugaaruk attempts to rebound after losing only school

A week after their only school burnt down, residents of Kugaaruk, Nunavut, are moving forward despite heavy hearts. School will resume in temporary classrooms over the next two weeks.

School set to resume in temporary classrooms over the next two weeks, says principal

Mitch Wiles CBC News
The stone front entrance of Kugaardjuq school was the only part of the school to survive the fire. The entrance was designed with community input to pay respect to a stone church built in the area in the 1940s by an oblate priest. (Mitch Wiles/CBC)

A week after their only school burned down, residents of Kugaaruk, Nunavut, are moving forward despite heavy hearts. School will resume in temporary classrooms over the next two weeks.

Scroll below to see photos from the community and to meet people affected by the fire.

'I didn't believe it was burning,' says Maria Qagutaq, a custodian at the school, sitting with granddaughter Helen Kringorn. 'My son woke me up at 2 am. I watched it burn from my bedroom window.' (Mitch Wiles/CBC)
The remains of Kugaardjuq school. The fire started on the evening of Feb. 28. The volunteer fire crew fought the fire for about 10 hours. The crew stopped the fire from spreading to the nearby diesel power plant and hamlet office. (Mitch Wiles/CBC)
'By the time we got to the crawl space, I knew we lost it... it was terrifying,' says Vincent Ningark, Kugaaruk's fire chief. The community's only fire truck was no match for the fire blazing inside the walls of the school. (Mitch Wiles/CBC)
This was the school's gym. It will be torn down later this week. (Mitch Wiles/CBC)
'It just makes me feel so bad. It just hurt me a lot,' says Fabian Qirngnuq, a Grade 12 student hoping to graduate this year. (Mitch Wiles/CBC)
A toppled sign in front of Kugaardjuq school. Temporary classrooms for Kugaaruk's 300 students are being set up throughout the community. Kindergarten will be held at the community daycare. Grades 1 through 6 will be held at the local church. High school classes will be split up into three separate buildings. (Mitch Wiles/CBC)
Principal Jerry Maciuk says, 'Every effort is being made to make sure that our potential eight or nine graduates from Grade 12 this year, we will make them graduate... we cannot give up easily.' Maciuk is working closely with Government of Nunavut officials to fly in school supplies to the community. (Mitch Wiles/CBC)
The school 'meant a lot for the community because every day students go their for breakfast and lunch,' says Stephan Inaksajak, mayor of Kugaaruk. 'It was very sad seeing the school burning.' Inaksajak is hopeful to get the free breakfast and lunch program back up and running within the next two weeks. (Mitch Wiles/CBC)
'It's really sad. It's really sad for the whole community,' says Pauloosie Nungaq, a Grade 10 student. 'It's going to take time to heal the community. It's a big loss. It's almost the whole community. It's a school.' (Mitch Wiles/CBC)
'I miss the school already,' says Clifford Tigvareark, a Grade 10 student. Given the remoteness of the Nunavut community and short construction season, it will likely take three or four years to build a new school in Kugaaruk. The replacement cost of the school is in the neighbourhood of $30 million. (Mitch Wiles/CBC)

CBC's Journalistic Standards and Practices|About CBC News
Corrections and clarifications|Submit a news tip|

Related Stories

10 Things You Should Never Do While Pumping Gas

100 Container Ship Crashes

12 Reasons Chocolate Is Good for Your Health

13-of-earths-largest-sinkholes

1992 Toyota Supras For Sale

2000 Toyota Land Cruiser For Sale in Alberta

2008 Cadillac Escalade For Sale in Alberta

2015 Year In Review

2018 The year in review

2019 Toyota Supra Leaked Pictures and Specs - ACTION NEWS FIRST

2022 Nike Air Jordan Thunder Red Retro Clones Are Better Than Retail Authentic Versions

30 Unbelievable Pictures Are Completely REAL not by Photoshop

ALEXANDRA STAN vs MANILLA MANIACS - All My People (Official Video)_(720p)

Abandoned Aircraft 50 Incredible Never Seen Photos

Abandoned, Asbestos Ridden Calgary Elementary School Torn Down

Alexandra Stan - Cliche (Hush Hush) OFFICIAL HD MUSIC VIDEO

Alexandra Stan - Mr Saxobeat (Official Video)

Alexandra Stan - Performing in Calgary July 21 2018

Amazon.ca Removes Fire Hazard Jump starter

American Express Releases Platinum Metal Stainless Steel Card - Review -Action News Exclusive

American Express Releases Platinum Metal Stainless Steel Card - Review -Action News Exclusive

BMW recalls 25,984,000 vehicles over turn signal problem

BREAKING NEWS - Florida Bridge Collapses ACTION NEWS FIRST

BREAKING NEWS - YouTube shooting - Female suspect dead at scene, upset over YouTube Account Suspension

Benefits of Buying a Used Car

Calgary Hit With Snow Fall For 2018

Calgary Car Crashes

Calgary Flood 2013

Calgary in the 1980s

Calgary - Flood 2013 Coverage - Emergency

Calgary Stampede 2013 Live Coverage- WESTNET-HD News Calgary

Calgary Stampede 2014 Live Coverage- WESTNET-HD News Calgary

Calgary Zoo Gorilla Dances

Canadian Radio Show Personality Stuart McLean Has Died

Colorado based REMAX Cashes in on Israel's Illegal Settlements

GOOLOO GT4000S Jump Starter Isn't What is Advertised - Consumers Upset!

Crazy Drive-by shooting caught on personal dashcam -Action News Exclusive

Hubbles Makes Ethernet, Cable & 120VAC Outlet In One, Is It Safe?

European cities fed up with tourists

FREE Dark Chocolate Dream Latte from Tim Hortons

Fentanyl Drug Kills Over 1000 Calgarians

Ford Truck Pulls School Bus Over ACTION NEWS FIRST

Girl Throws Puppies Into River

HandJet Ads Are Scam Do Not Buy

Hien Vu VS Kenneth Qui Retail Problem Calgary CTV

Hot CBS Reporter in Short Skirt Reunites With Truck Driver Who She Saved During Hurricane Harvey

Hot Nurse talks about life with Gadhafi ACTION NEWS FIRST

How to Get US Netflix in Canada Easy and Free

How safe are you at a Mexican resort?

Inna - WOW Music Video A Mix Of Movies

Is Islamophobia sweeping the US?

Jennifer Aniston Adopts 33-Year-Old Boyfriend From Africa

Jil Love Revolution Raising Awareness for Yemen

Mike Tysons Deserted 80s Mansion

Montreal Bus Police Tow Truck Car Pile Up Leaves 10 Dead

NBC Nightly News Full Broadcast For Sept 20th 2017

NBC Nightly News Full Broadcast For Sept 25th 2017

NBC Nightly News Full Broadcast Tonight For

New Evidence Proves 911 Was A Controlled Demolition

New Car Model Design For 2014 Calgary Winter

New ING Direct Canada App Collects Too Much Information

New Super Killer Bee Discovered

Nov. 3, 1997: HDTV Revolution

Overeating could double your chance of memory loss

Petition To Stop Sale of Products Made In The Occupied Territories Launched (Sodastream)

Romanian Superstar Inna Crosses into Arabic

SC-300T CPU Liquid Cooler Tank Quality

Safeway Customers Being Ripped Off By Weight In Water In Meat

Sea Life With Plastic

Strange things you’d only ever see in Dubai

Target shuts down in Canada

Target shuts down in Canada

The Greatest Barn Finds Ever

The Highest Quality Vehicles Ever Made

The Ugliest Cars In History

The 'University' of Calgary Does Not Seem To Understand Our Quadrants

The Hottest Girls of 2014 - WESTNET-HD News Calgary

Toronto Becomes First City To Mandate Green Roofs

Toyota Supra Is Now Out For 2020 Model Year

Tree full of FIRE found-STRANGE VIDEO

Trumps Motorcade Unseen Images

UHAUL Driver in Ford E350 Crashes Into Overhead Sewage Pipeline

WestNet-HD Live

WestNet-HD Action News -Calgary

WhatsApp for Windows 7 Working Download Trick

Woman Cheats Death 3 Times

Woman says she found a rat sewn into her Zara dress

Worlds largest aircraft prepares to take off looks like a girls Ass

Calgary All Lives Matter

City rolls out black cart program

100 KM long traffic jam in China, is Calgary Next?

Calgary Wind Warning Causes Record Damage

CalgaryFinder.com becomes popular alternative

Is This Woman Too Hot To Be a Banker?

Haifa Wehbe Survives Suicide Attack

The Health Benefits and Cons of Coffee

How To Avoid Your Mother In Law

How To Fit Back Into Your Favorite Pair of Jeans

A Look Back A The 2011 vancouver Hockey Riots

Man Forced To Marry His Girlfriend

McDonald's manager steals 29 tons of McNuggets

McDonald's to end fry rationing

People On Street Pick Up 15 Million Dollars

Sexy CNN reporter makes a bigger fool out of "Christian Preacher" Terry Jones

Kesha Father: "Stop Showing Off Your Butt"

History of the Toyota Land Cruiser (1950-2010)