Ross River residents suffered a tragic loss early this morning as flames engulfed and collapsed the community's recreation building.

The big, blue building was easily identified by residents as a safe haven for kids and youth, a place to go when it was cold, or when going home wasn't an option. It housed the youth centre, fitness room and the recently revitalized skating rink.

Initial reports indicate no one has been treated for injuries, and no one is believed to have been in the building.

In a village of about 300 people, there isn't always a lot to do. The loss of the recreation centre is a major strike for the kids.

"All the teenagers, everyone was out last night, just silent, staring at the damage,” said Fran Etzel. She is the director of the Ross River Recreation Society and a teacher at the school.

"People were hugging each other, crying. I was just bawling, thinking of all they lost.”

The youth centre housed a pool table, big screen TV, and numerous game systems popular with the youth.

Perhaps the biggest loss, said Etzel, is the hockey equipment. All the players stored their hockey bags at the arena.

"They scraped together money to get this equipment, and now it's gone,” she said.

Hockey players had formed a team and were practising nearly every night for the popular annual Native Hockey Tournament in Whitehorse, March 25-27.

Now, it is unclear whether they'll have any equipment to use.

Etzel urges anyone able to donate hockey equipment to please help in any way possible.

Local RCMP officers had spent tireless hours over the fall and winter rebuilding the arena which was built in 1989, and closed for renovations in January 2009.

According to the Department of Community Services, which is responsible for the building, the Canadian and Yukon governments put $270,000 into the arena in the last two years.

However, it was the volunteer work of the officers which reopened the arena this winter.

Their work was featured during last month's Scotiabank Hockey Day in Canada television coverage

Since it was reopened, kids had been lining up outside the arena almost every day after school, waiting to get in and play hockey.

For the time being, hockey players will have to go to Faro, a 45-minute drive away, to practise.

Ann Lardner, an ambulance attendant and staff member at Ross River School, lives right across the street from the recreation centre.

She awoke to sirens, her ambulance radio going off, and the community fire alarm. The scene was immediately urgent.

"There were flames pouring out the front of the building where the fitness room was,” Lardner said this morning from Ross River.

She said there were many flames under the building, which is raised off the ground.

"Once the fire reached the top floor, where the youth centre is, windows began to blow out, the metal siding bulged out and eventually the roof just caved in,” she said.

Deputy Fire Chief David Windsor said this morning he was called out of bed at 3 a.m., and quickly mobilized a team of 12 volunteers. In frigid -40 temperatures, the team worked to douse the flames.

At one point, the pump on the Ross River fire truck quit, and backup from Faro firefighters was requested.

For now, Windsor said, the fire is under control. Flames continued to smoulder, but with the building in ruins, there was nothing left to burn.

"It's -45 here, so everything's all froze up,” Windsor said. "All we can do is babysit the fire, keep an eye on it.”

The building's all-metal exterior helped contain the fire, he said, but the inside is damaged and burned beyond repair.

The building is owned by the Yukon government.

RCMP spokesman Sgt. Don Rogers said this morning no foul play is suspected. As is protocol, the Yukon fire marshal's office will conduct an investigation.

"I don't think we'll ever know how it started,” said Windsor.

His initial observations were obscured by such heavy damage and warping, he said, it was too difficult to immediately determine a cause of the fire.

The recreation centre remains locked over night, he said.

Nearby buildings, including a child care centre, have not been damaged.

The building also housed three propane tanks, which were a concern as the fire raged.

Windsor said the propane lines to the building were cut, as was electricity. The tanks, which hold about 1,000 litres each, are about eight metres from the building.

They are no longer a concern, Windsor said.

Residents on the scene expressed worry about the newly purchased Zamboni for the arena. Lardner said it is housed in an adjacent building, and was moved to prevent any damage.

As the fire continues to smoulder, the RCMP continue to provide scene security to ensure no one gets hurt.

"We will continue to work with the Ross River Recreational Society to see what we can do for them,” a spokesperson for the Department of Community Services said today when asked if and when the facility would be rebuilt.