Exposure to asbestos is minimal after fire at Kugmallit row houses, says town of Inuvik

After the weekend fire and demolition of the Kugmallit Road row houses in Inuvik, N.W.T., health concerns were raised by residents since the buildings were well known to have asbestos in them.

The fire happened Saturday night. On Monday evening, the town released an update that addressed some of the concerns.

"It's in our opinion that right now there's minimum exposure to the asbestos. Number one — because it's still a very wet site from all the water from putting out the fire," said Grant Hood, senior administrative officer for the town.

"From what we are aware of, there wasn't a lot of asbestos in it."

Asbestos can be harmful to breathe in when its fibres become airborne.

Hood said the site was cornered with tape, and that people should stay away from it but they shouldn't worry if they are outside and near the area.

In the town's public update, it said the debris was wetted down in order to reduce "the amount of dust created during the removal process."

The town is also wetting down the roads and removing sand and gravel to mitigate any potential of dust to spread by wind, according to its public update. During the operation, residents downwind should close their windows and residents upwind should avoid the area.

Hood said when they were demolishing the building, there was no dust coming off of it because it was wet.

The town started to monitor the air quality on Tuesday. Hood said they are working in conjunction with the Workers' Safety and Compensation Commission (WSCC) as well as the Department of Environment and Natural Resources on the cleanup.

Although the town is in the process of opening parks again, the playground across from the fire will remain closed for the time being after a recommendation from the department to be cautious.

Hood said that people near the area when the fire or demolition happened shouldn't be worried about asbestos exposure.

The Inuvik Drum, a local newspaper, posted a safety notice on Facebook Monday about risk of asbestos exposure, which exacerbated the concerns raised by residents. That post circulated over a hundred times, but it has since been taken down. 

Resident wanted earlier notice

Tony McDonald and his young children live in the neighborhood where the fire was and had to be evacuated from his home as a precaution.

He said they returned about an hour later. McDonald said he already had concerns knowing that there is asbestos in the row house.

"My concern right now is my kids … they are still developing. What if I have asbestos dust around my house? It's some pretty harmful stuff."

Going forward I'd like the whole place fenced off so kids can't get to it.- Tony McDonald, Resident

McDonald said when he called WSCC, he was told not to worry and that he might have only had short-term exposure, if any at all. He said he had concerns that the proper process wasn't being followed because he was able to watch the demolishment of the building, and they weren't watering it down.

Hood said that the building was already wet from the fire "so it didn't have to be sprayed down."

McDonald wished the town would have addressed residents in the neighborhood earlier, and felt that the building was demolished without proper precautions.

McDonald said he's also concerned that a fire could happen in other row houses on Inuit Road, that also have asbestos.

"Going forward I'd like the whole place fenced off so kids can't get to it," said McDonald.

Hood said it comes down to resources and the town can't afford to put a fence around the area right now, but the town is looking at options.

He said the town would like to get rid of the buildings, but it might be too costly to demolish and remediate. He said the town had to tear down the row house on fire because it was a safety issue.

Hood said the town will be attempting to bill Talal Khatib, the owner of the building that has been vacant since 2012, for the cost of demolition. It will take about two days to clean up the site once the process begins, Hood said.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.