Iqaluit buildings close amid dump fire smoke

Nunavut government offices and schools in Iqaluit closed early Tuesday afternoon amid health concerns related to smoke wafting from a two-week-old fire at the city's landfill.

All territorial government offices in the Nunavut capital city, including public health offices, were shut down around 3 p.m. ET, officials told CBC News.

As well, students at four Iqaluit schools were sent home early: Inukshuk High School, Aqsarniit Middle School, and Nakasuk and Joamie elementary schools.

The four schools closed "due to smell" from the still-smouldering dump fire, according to a brief statement sent around noon ET, after smoke from the fire had drifted into the city late that morning.

Federal government offices remained open Tuesday afternoon, although officials told CBC News they have shut off the air intake in the federal building.

Headaches, nausea reported

It is not the first time schools in the Iqaluit area have closed because of health concerns related to the fire, which began Sept. 24 in a large pile of construction debris at the municipal landfill.

Staff and students at various schools have reported experiencing headaches and nausea because of the smell of the smoke.

Since the fire began, winds have mostly taken the smoke away from the city and out to Frobisher Bay. But the winds have shifted on some occasions, blowing the smoke toward Iqaluit and nearby Apex.

Days after the fire began, Nunavut's chief medical officer said most residents would not experience serious health problems as a result of the smoke but cautioned everyone to avoid it if they could.

Dr. Isaac Sobol has said the Health Department does not have the equipment to measure the toxicity of smoke from the fire.

Sobol said employers who are concerned about the presence of smoke in their buildings can contact the Workplace Safety Compensation Commission of the N.W.T. and Nunavut.