Fire in built environment

Two Nunavik communities are mourning the deaths of a longtime priest, his wife and their grandson in a house fire early Sunday.
Reverend Tom Martin, who served the Cree community of Whapmagoostui and the nearby Inuit community of Kuujjuarapik for more than 20 years at St. Edmund’s Anglican Church in Whapmagoostui, Marianne Martin and Rowan Martin all lost their lives in the fire, said Chief Robbie Kawapit of the Whapmagoostui First Nation community in a Facebook post.
“In this time of unimaginable loss and tragedy, it is vital that we stand together as one community to offer our unwavering support and compassion to the grieving family,” Kawapit said.
Whapmagoostui is home to about 1,000 Cree who live alongside the Inuit community of Kuujjuarapik, with a population of close to 800.
The house fire occurred on the Cree side, said Capt. Patrice Abel of the Nunavik Police Service in an email. A spokesperson for the Eeyou Eenou Police Force couldn’t be reached for comment Monday.
Construction on the current St. Edmund’s Anglican Church began in 2002, to replace the aging former building.
In an interview then, Rev. Martin told Nunatsiaq News the community had needed a new church building to accommodate and bring together Cree and Inuit since his arrival there nearly two decades before.
In his Facebook post, Whapmagoostui’s chief invited both communities to honour the legacy of the Martin family, “remembering the lifelong dedication, service, and unconditional love they gave upon our community.”