Investigation underway after fire burns part of KBL waste transfer yard in Yellowknife
A fire broke out Monday night at KBL Environmental's waste transfer yard in Yellowknife's Kam Lake industrial area.
By Tuesday morning, the scene was taped off. Melted waste could be seen in the yard, with scorch marks on the side of the building.
Cole Martin, who lives nearby, said he heard what sounded like loud bangs and saw several vehicles leaving Monday night. He called the fire department around 10:50 p.m.
Martin said his reaction was, "Wake up my sister, make sure nobody was in danger and call the fire department."
Martin said the fire seemed to be out around 1 a.m.
Cole Martin, who lives near where the fire took place, said he phoned the fire department Monday night after he heard what he thinks were loud bangs (Luke Carroll/CBC )
The N.W.T. RCMP said in an email to CBC that they were not dispatched to the incident and "it doesn't appear that we have an open investigation at this time."
KBL Environmental does waste management in several parts of the N.W.T., and operates two transfer facilities for hazardous waste.
KBL president and CEO Jeff Dirks said in an email to CBC that they responded to the fire around 10:15 p.m. on Monday. The fire department "promptly responded and extinguished the fire," he said.
The facility and property were unoccupied and there were no injuries, Dirks said.
"Our team is actively communicating with regulatory authorities, and an investigation is underway to determine the cause of the fire," Dirks wrote.
Dirks said he doesn't think the material that burned was hazardous, but their investigation will look into this further.
"KBL will be conducting a thorough assessment of potential impacts and rectify all findings. Additional information will become available over the coming days," Dirks wrote.
