Fire in tent in Nunavut kills 1 child, seriously injures five others in family

POND INLET, Nunavut – A nine-year-old boy has died in hospital and five other family members remain in serious condition after a tent fire in Nunavut.

RCMP say they were notified about the fire on Sunday morning.

Sgt. Yvonne Neigo said Tuesday that two adults and four children between the ages of two and 11 were camping and subsistence hunting about two hours west of Pond Inlet by boat.

Other campers realized something was wrong and contacted a search-and-rescue team, which arranged for a helicopter to bring the injured to Pond Inlet’s health centre, she said.

“It’s not like camping in the south,” Neigo said. “Families go out to popular areas, but aren’t necessarily close together. There are no trees, so you can see a long way.

“The people who called may have seen smoke or flames in the distance.”

Two doctors from a visiting cruise ship happened to be at the health centre, which does not usually have a physician, and helped treat the entire family.

The six were medevaced out for further care. Neigo said she believed they were taken to two separate hospitals, but she didn’t know where.

One of the parents and one child were in serious condition, while the others were in critical but stable condition, she said.

Mounties are still investigating. The cause of the fire has not been determined, Neigo said.