A fire has destroyed the arena in Igloolik, Nunavut, along with an important community hub that houses a local circus and performing arts space.
The fire broke out around 2:30 a.m. on Wednesday, said George Qaunaq, the community’s chief administrative officer. It engulfed the Kipsigak Arena which is also home to Artcirq’s Black Box, where it runs its circus and community programing.
The building can’t be saved and will need to be demolished, Qaunaq said.
“The whole building is going to have come down,” he said.
He said the fire started sometime in the night, but the cause is still unknown.
The fire was still burning later on Wednesday morning and smoke was spreading in the community, shutting schools and the health centre.
“We’re still trying to contain it,” Qaunaq said, just before noon.
A space ‘filled with love’ for youth to gather, lost
Guillaume Saladin is the co-founder of Artcirq, a performing arts collective formed in Igloolik in 1998. Its members have travelled the world and created a safe space in the community for youth to gather.
Saladin said he received a call at 3 a.m. from people who work at Artcirq saying that their building was on fire.
“We have a wall with all the flags, all the countries we travelled to over the years,” Saladin said. “And I was picturing this wall of flags burning. And I was just crying.”
“Everyone is so sad.”
Launched in 1998 in Igloolik as a youth program with a social mission, Artcirq has evolved into a world-class performing arts collective.
Saladin said he’s still in disbelief that everything is lost.
“It’s the last 20 years, and the energy they’ve put into making a safe space for young people to express themselves,” he said.
Seven people from Igloolik work at the Black Box full-time, Saladin said.
“It was their job to keep that place safe and open every day” he said.
The Black Box ran workshops for young people every weekday, along with its circus and Inuit games. It was also a space for musicians to gather, complete with lighting and a sound system.
Despite the devastation, Saladin said he and his colleagues at Artcirq will look to rebuild.
“Artcirq is not a place, it’s the people. So that’s the good news. Artcirq is still there,” he said. “Once this fire is all gone we have to take time to rebuild and make it better than it was before.”
Saladin said he also hopes others step up to help.
“Share the pain and then find solutions I really hope that the hamlet council, the federal government, that many people, gather together,” he said.
“So many people have been part of this. It’s really a unique space, it’s filled with love.”
Qaunaq said the loss of the Black Box, along with the arena, is going to felt throughout Igloolik and beyond.
“It is devastating for the community,” Qaunaq said.
