Iqaluit dump fire prompts school closure

A school near Iqaluit closed down on Thursday because of health concerns related to smoke from a fire that continues to burn at the local dump.

Staff and students at Nanook School in Apex started smelling smoke from the dump fire on Wednesday, when winds began changing direction and carried smoke toward the community.

School officials reported getting headaches on Thursday morning, so they sent the approximately 40 students home around 10:30 a.m. ET.

"My little cousin told me that the smoke was inside and they couldn't stand the smell in there, so they closed it for now," Alex Pillakapsi told CBC News on Thursday, as he was walking his cousin Crystal from Apex to Iqaluit.

Since the fire began on Sept. 24, winds have taken the smoke out to Frobisher Bay, away from the city. However, the winds shifted on Wednesday and Thursday, bringing the smoke toward Iqaluit and nearby Apex.

Despite the strong smell, a couple dozen children were seen playing outside the Apex school on Thursday afternoon.

The children described the strong garbage and smoke scent in the school, with some saying the smell has given them a headache.

Firefighting effort suspended

The dump fire began in a large pile of construction debris. Fire officials say it could take weeks or even months before the fire is completely out.

Earlier on Thursday, Iqaluit firefighters were at the dump to tackle an offshoot of the fire, which had jumped to a pile of shredded material.

Once that smaller fire was put out, they resumed efforts to soak the main blaze, which produced a lot of steam as a result.

"When we came out and were dealing with that smaller area, the wind was favourable and we had no problems, and we were checking to see if anybody had been calling into dispatch to complain about it," fire Chief Walter Oliver said.

"It was just when we did the last part that it swung over towards town. That was why we suspended it at that point."

'Nothing great' about situation: fire chief

Oliver it does not make sense for firefighters to keep aggressively battling the fire, since it would consume the rest of the city's resources and potentially make the problem worse.

"Let's say I put 2½-million gallons of water on that thing and it's still smoking. Well, you got two kinds of pollution here," he said.

"You got airborne pollution … the smoke. If I put 2½-million gallons of water on it, that water's going to go somewhere; I'm going to pollute the bay. So it's a kind of 'pick your poison,' eh? There's nothing great about the situation."

Oliver warned Iqaluit residents to close their windows and turn off the ventilation systems in their homes if smoke from the dump fire blows their way.

Earlier this week, Nunavut chief medical officer Dr. Isaac Sobol said the smoke is hazardous only to people with respiratory illnesses such as asthma.

Nanook School officials say they will resume classes if conditions improve.