Photo by Vince Fedoroff
NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE DAMAGED – Windows in the SS Klondike are missing in the door facing the Yukon River.
Photo by Vince Fedoroff
CHARRED WOOD – RCMP and the Whitehorse Fire Department were called out to the SS Klondike for a fire by the paddlewheel early Saturday morning.
Responding officers used personal fire extinguishers
Whitehorse RCMP are investigating a fire at the SS Klondike National Historic Site that happened at around 3:30 a.m. Saturday.
Whitehorse RCMP are investigating a fire at the SS Klondike National Historic Site that happened at around 3:30 a.m. Saturday.
Alerted by a passerby, the RCMP responded first and got the blaze under control before city firefighters arrived on scene.
“They used a couple personal fire extinguishers,” said Jason Wolsky, Whitehorse’s Deputy Fire Chief.
“They knocked it down pretty well before we got there.”
The fire started at the stern of the boat, but the vessel didn’t sustain a lot of damage, Wolsky said.
“There’s interior charring on some of the wood,” he said.
While the SS Klondike is equipped with sprinklers, the fire didn’t trigger them.
Fire officials couldn’t confirm where exactly the sprinklers are on the boat.
“Whitehorse RCMP members, along with Police Dog Services, made patrols in the area; however, no one has been arrested at this time,” police said in a press release.
Parks Canada officials in Whitehorse were not available to comment on the incident before press time this afternoon.
Anybody with information can contact Whitehorse RCMP at 667-5555.
There have been disastrous losses of other Yukon sternwheelers over the years.
The SS Casca and the SS Whitehorse were destroyed in the Shipyards area of Whitehorse in June 1974.
The SS Tutshi in Carcross was gutted by fire in July 1990.
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Comments (6)
Up 2 Down 5
Josey Wales on Sep 24, 2015 at 8:58 am
hmmm....seems to be some evidence that my "rants" have merit.
Fear not Josey haters, IF we ever find out who was "responsible" it will get sanitized, politically corrected, and presumably hit by "the wall" of young offender enabling SILENCE.
In short same ol' same ol'.
The Klondike is plastered with cameras, cameras a human may view.
I wonder if next time they toss a molotov through those open windows?
Would have been a better article had they been caught and dealt with BEFORE the victim industry was able to offer their litany of excuses.
Man what a sty these days, and powers that be are uber focused on recycling and housing imports...imagine eh?
Up 22 Down 0
james wrent on Sep 23, 2015 at 11:42 am
How sad that we came so close to losing another irreplaceable part of history. It would be prudent to keep an eye on this treasure (cameras).
Up 22 Down 0
Tom Stevens on Sep 22, 2015 at 11:56 pm
What is wrong with people.. one of the few historic reminders of the past, a tourist attraction and some idiots want to burn it down. Wow.. no real explanation for how low someone will really go. Let us see if the RCMP can figure this out and bring someone to face the music.
Up 40 Down 1
Steven Horn on Sep 22, 2015 at 12:44 am
One simply hopes that those responsible will be arrested and brought to justice. The Klondike is a priceless monument!
Up 32 Down 9
JC on Sep 21, 2015 at 9:33 pm
When will the city learn to install security cameras everywhere. They can spend tens of thousands of dollars on Christmas lights all over the city from November 1st to the end of Feb. and won't spend money on security cameras. In fact security cameras are a very cheap security measure. I have one and it cost less than a thousand bucks.
Up 111 Down 5
disgusted on Sep 21, 2015 at 3:23 pm
I suppose these kids (assuming they were kids) will also not be punished for almost destroying history.
Are people really this bored? Do they not know consequence? They probably don't even realize that they would go down in history and not for a good thing. If they were kids, what do their parents think of their little "angels"? Are they the "my kid would never do that" type or the "I don't care what my kids do" type?
I'm so disgusted with Whitehorse lately.