No suspects identified in house fire, gunfire investigation in Fort Smith, N.W.T., say RCMP

RCMP say they have not yet identified a suspect after responding to a house fire and possible gunfire in Fort Smith, N.W.T., on Friday morning. 

Police said they got a call about both the fire and a firearm being discharged on Field Street around 4:30 a.m. 

The fire fully engulfed the home and it has been deemed a total loss, they said in a news release in the early afternoon. 

Adam McNab, director of the town's protective services, told CBC News around 7:45 a.m. that people who were in the home when the fire happened had been able to get out and were safe, and that no one had been hurt.

At the time, he said the home had considerable damage and that the intersection of Field Street and Cassette Crescent remained closed. He said the fire at the single family detached home had been brought under control as crews continued to douse hotspots.

Police say two males had been seen leaving the scene in a Hyundai sedan driven by a third person. They said they hadn't identified a suspect and that they were actively investigating what happened.

McNab said whoever called the fire department reported both the fire and that shots may have been fired. He said the office of the fire marshal would be investigating how the fire started, and that RCMP were investigating the reported shots. 

Speaking to CBC News later on Friday, Fort Smith Mayor Dana Fergusson said that police assured her that the incidents that morning were "a very targeted situation," and that there was no ongoing threat to the community.

She also urged any potential witnesses to contact police. 

This is the latest in a number of house fires in South Slave communities in recent months, many of which also involved shots being fired. The RCMP has not publicly drawn any links between them.