WHITEHORSE, YT – There was a fire at the Tagish Community Centre on the morning of Wednesday, March 12th, with the structure appearing to be heavily damaged in a photo shared by Yukon Protective Services.
According to Yukon Protective Services, fire departments from the communities of Tagish, Golden Horn, Marsh Lake, Carcross and Mount Lorne were still on scene as off 10:45AM, along with a Special Heavy Operations Team.
The Yukon’s Fire Marshal, Kiara Adams, confirmed there were no injuries during the fire, but the building itself will likely be a total loss.
Adams noted that the fire response was led by local volunteer fire departments, who first got the call at around 4:00am. She says she’s very pleased with the quick initial response of the Tagish Volunteer Fire Department, as well as the dedication and passion shown by the neighboring fire departments of Golden Horn, Marsh Lake, Carcross and Mount Lorne, which had all quickly sprung into action to provide mutual aid.
Crews on-site have now begun the investigation stage, with assistance from the Whitehorse Fire department. Tagish residents have been asked to avoid the area until further notice.
Heather Bekar, President of the Tagish Community Association, confirmed in an email sent to local residents that all scheduled activities and events at the Community Centre have been cancelled until further notice.
‘We want to express our heartfelt gratitude for the outpouring of support, kind words, and offers of help. Your compassion and strength remind us of the resilience of our community.’ – Heather Bekar, President of the Tagish Community Association
The Yukon’s Premier Ranj Pallai, Minister of Community Services Richard Mostyn, and MLA for Mount Lorne and Southern Lakes John Streicker had issued a joint statement acknowledging the devastating loss to the community of Tagish, and have committed to rebuilding the community space when the community is ready to do so.
This story has been updated to include comments from the Yukon Government, Yukon Fire Marshal, and Tagish Community Association
