Nunavut fires started by youngsters: marshal

More than half of the fires started in Nunavut last year were ignited by young people playing with lighters and matches, according to the territory's fire marshal.

In its 2009 annual report, the fire marshal's office said more than 54 per cent of fires reported in Nunavut that year were either incendiary or due to people being careless with fire ignition devices like lighters.

The report cites "the problem of juvenile fire setting in the communities" as a major factor in those blazes.

"Probably about 50 to 60 per cent of our fires are caused by youth playing with lighters, candles, matches, whatever, and those are the things that we've got to address," fire marshal Ed Zebedee told CBC News on Wednesday.

Of the 128 fires reported in Nunavut last year, 70 were caused by misuse of lighters, matches and candles, according to the report.

Zebedee said misuse also includes the improper use of cooking instruments, or people falling asleep without putting out their cigarettes.

Focus on fire prevention

Zebedee said Nunavut has focused on fire response over the past five years, but now officials are going to emphasize fire prevention education, especially to children and youth.

"We're going to be going forward with a new 'learn not to burn' program at the school level," he said.

"We've partnered with the National Fire [Protection] Association out of the U.S. to actually do a video that is going to be shot in Nunavut, using Nunavummiut, to get the message out."

Hopefully, he added, those students will take those fire prevention lessons home to their parents.

"We've learned nationally that children from Grade 1 to Grade 4 are the ones that bring home the fire prevention programs, the 'be prepared' programs," Zebedee said.

"They are the ones that hear about it at the school and come home to their parents and make their parents aware."

Zebedee said he wants the fire prevention program to be ready by September, when students start another academic year.

Last year's 128 fires led to one death and 15 injuries. Most of the injuries were minor, with only four being serious, according to the report.

The total number of fires in 2009 is up from 89 last year. Zebedee said the number is higher this year because officials have improved their methods of tracking and recording fires.