The Whitehorse Fire Department says last Thursday morning’s fire in an apartment downtown was caused by someone smoking.

The fire began at around 1:40 a.m. at an apartment on the second floor of a building on Third Avenue near Steele Street.

According to deputy chief Chris Green, the fire was caused by smoking on or around a bed in the bachelor apartment.

Residents of the building were uninjured and asked to stay out of their homes for the rest of the day.

“The good thing is all the smoke detectors were working in that building, so all the other occupants were able to get out safely,” said Green in an interview Tuesday.

But the tenant of the apartment where the blaze started and a firefighter did suffer smoke inhalation.

Green explained that the firefighter had a regulator malfunction.

The tenant spent several days at Whitehorse General Hospital being treated for irritation of the lungs. Green said both the tenant and the firefighter are now OK.

The fire also caused significant smoke and water damage to the apartment as well as water damage to the Yukon Man Barber Shop located below.

Shop owner Larissa Chippett said she learned about the fire from an employee who went into work later that morning.

“She called me and said, ‘Larissa why didn’t you say to me that we aren’t open today? It looks like the landlord started to do renovations in the shop,’” Chippett told the Star Tuesday.

Later that day, when Chippett went into the shop, she found the furniture covered in plastic, water on the floor, and damage to the ceiling.

She said she spent the day cleaning while the shop was closed. It was able to reopen the following day.

“It’s not too bad, nothing was damaged really,” Chippett said.

But she noted that the shop still needs repairs.

Most of the ceiling tiles were damaged, leaving insulation and pipes exposed, and there is damage to the floor.

“I try to be positive, but the shop doesn’t look very presentable,” Chippett said.

The damage has also affected business, she said, as many customers think the shop is still closed.

And she is unsure when repairs to the building will be completed.

“The landlord said he doesn’t have a clue; he doesn’t know anything,” she said on when the repairs might be done.

“I have to wait. I don’t want to push anybody, I don’t want to argue with anybody.”

Reflecting on the fire, Chippett said people should think about how their actions affect others.

“I wish that people would be more careful and more responsible,” she said.

Green also noted the importance of not smoking on or around bedding and having working smoke detectors.