Iqaluit Happy Valley neighbourhood lockdown enters day 2

• FULL STORY |RCMPconfirmIqaluitHappy Valley standoff over, no injuries

Shots have been fired from within a home in the Happy Valley neighbourhood in Iqaluit, say RCMP, and that's why the area has remained locked down for more than 24 hours.

"Over the past 26 hours, there have been a number of shots fired from within the residence," said RCMP in a statement released around6:30 p.m. ETWednesday.

• Read the fullRCMPstatement here

"Due to the high risk to the general public, we ask that residents in the affected area continue to respect the restrictions in place."

RCMP crisis negotiators are in contact with a man who's beenbarricaded inside thehome since Tuesday afternoon.

"Negotiations are ongoing in attempts to successfully resolve this situation," the statement said.

"We understand the strain placed on the residents in Happy Valley and the surrounding area and we appreciate everyone's co-operation."

Roadblocks set up

RCMP and municipal enforcement officers set up roadblocks at the intersections of Atungauyait Drive and Qiyuttaat Lane at around 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday, April 28. Armed police, including an Emergency Response Team, are watching a house in the area and neighbours have been asked to stay inside their homes.

"At approximately 3:30 yesterday afternoon, RCMPreceived a report there was a distraught male in a residence, and he had a firearm,"Const.MalcolmMcNeil said Wednesday.

He saidpolice are doing the best they can.

"With all of our resources being used for dealing with this incident, we're doing our best to deliver that message and basically keep the public and ourselves safe in this situation and help the individual who is locked up in his residence."

RomeynStevenson, Iqaluit's deputy mayor, saidthe cityalso wants to keep people informed.

"Information is sometimes difficult to get in a situation like this when theRCMP is very busy," he said.

"They don't have a lot of time to be just passing out information, they're really dealing with the situation. That's not a reason why people shouldn't know and we're working on making sure that everyone who needs to know, knows what they need to know."

The incident is unfolding at the bottom of the hill below Joamie elementary school. RCMP shut down the school for the day after school busesof children had already begun to arrive.

Six people slept in an emergency shelter set up at the Arctic Winter Games complex youth centre last night because they couldn't return to their homes, according to Michel Rheault, who represents the Red Cross in Iqaluit.Other residents, who couldn't go to their houses because of the road blocks in Happy Valley, slept at the homes of friends or family members.

Witnesses said they saw police officers escorting childrenfrom home daycares in the areaaround8 p.m.Tuesdaynight.

'A lot of tension'

One Happy Valley resident described"a lot of tension" in the neighbourhood.

"The lack of information is the worst thing," said Craig Dunphy, whose youngest daughter was unable to return home because of the roadblocks.

"I do understand that these guys are a little tied up and a little busy. It'd be nice if somebody in charge could post on social media, or let the press know, or something."

Martha Lawlor, who's still outside the barricade, saidthe situation is frustrating.

"It's just that uneasy feeling," she said. "Knowing that your family's over there, and we're over here. It's no fun at all."

Police say they're hopeful the situation will end peacefully.

"We're working hard and we're hoping for a successful result to this," McNeil said.