A devastating fire ravaged the Garden Townhomes apartment building on Franklin Avenue on Saturday morning, leaving many residents in shock and without a place to stay.
The blaze started in one of the north-end apartments and quickly spread to the rest of the building.
“The fire started roughly around 9 a.m. this morning,” said John Ritchie, assistant fire marshal.
Other details were still unknown as members of the Yellowknife Fire Division were busy dousing the flames.
Adrian Ayson, a resident of the apartment building along with his uncle, said he was at work when he was informed of the emergency.
“So I came home right away,” he said. “I guess someone told me that the house is burning.”
He said he didn’t know what to do next, and hoped that some of his belongings are still intact.
Rolando Delacruz, Ayson’s uncle, said he heard someone shouting at the door that there was a fire. He and his relatives gathered some clothes and important documents and ran out of the building.
“We hurried up and then we just grabbed whatever we can,” he said.
He said he was still in shock and has many things to sort out in short order, including where to go.
“We don’t have plans yet. But yeah, you can stay in a hotel or you can contact the city,” he said.
Firefighters started tearing down the building around 11:15 a.m. as the flames persisted two hours after the structure ignited.
Northview, the owner of the accommodations, has refused to provide any comment of the fire.
The City of Yellowknife issued a news release on Saturday afternoon indicating that no injuries occurred in this incident and the property owner has made arrangements for accommodations for displaced occupants.
The cause is still under investigation through the Office of the Fire Marshal.
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