IQALUIT, Nunavut -- A youth has been charged after a fire at the largest retailer and grocery store in Iqaluit raised fears about food supplies in Nunavut's capital.
The fire at the Northmart store began early on Nov. 8 -- one of six blazes that officers responded to overnight. Police believe five of them were purposely set.
Two youths were arrested and one now faces charges of arson and public mischief. He is to make his first court appearance Nov. 23 in Iqaluit.
Northmart management said earlier this week that the store wasn't as badly damaged as first feared and would open for business on Saturday.
The damage was mostly limited to the store's warehouse, said Alex Yeo of Winnipeg-based The North West Company, which owns Northmart.
"There was minimal fire damage to the store, with portions of the facility sustaining smoke and water damage," he said in a release.
Yeo said the warehouse will be rebuilt. Northmart has 117 workers and is a major employer in Iqaluit.
Patrolling RCMP officers noticed smoke at the Northmart building at about 1:40 a.m. and evacuated the store. The fire grew quickly and eventually destroyed much of the warehouse.
A nearby elders care home was evacuated as a precaution and a school across from the store was closed for the morning.
More than just a grocer, Northmart offers everything from clothes to furniture to snowmobiles, as well as places to eat or sit for a coffee. Residents describe it as a community hub.
The fire initially created concerns about groceries for the city of 7,700. Iqaluit has no road connection and depends on air freight and barge shipments.
But the community's second grocery store said it would increase air freight and take over a barge shipment originally intended for its competitor. The territorial government said it would make storage space available for food, if necessary, and ensure residents still had access to medical prescriptions.
The other five blazes the same night as the Northmart fire included four in vehicles and one rubbish fire near an uninhabited residence.
"Iqaluit RCMP continue to investigate the fires as well as a single report of a break and enter that occurred while the elders home was evacuated," police said Thursday in a release.
