Iqaluit shack fire sends 2 to hospital

A shack fire in Iqaluit Friday evening sent two people to hospital.

The shack, located at Iqaluit's beach, was made of two 40-foot seacans. According to Luc Grandmaison, the city's fire chief, two people were inside at the time.

"The fire started while they were inside the shack," said Grandmaison, who added that the fire took local fire crews about 30 minutes to extinguish.

According to Grandmaison, the seacans were lined with insulation, making the smoke potentially toxic.

Both people inside the shack at the time were sent to a local hospital. One person sufferedburns and both are being treated for possible smoke inhalation.

It's not known if the shack was a residence, but Grandmaison said that shack fires are commonplace in Iqaluit.

"There's regular shack fires here in Iqaluit," he said, adding that during the winter, the fire department responds to a shack fire approximately every six weeks. "It's been a while since we've had one, but unfortunately, shack fires are commonplace here."

Officials did not comment on what may have caused the fire.