Fire strikes in cell phone ‘dead area’

A pair of Alberta men were forced to watch their Pontiac Grand Prix burn on Wednesday, just south of the Takhini Bridge on the Alaska Highway.

A pair of Alberta men were forced to watch their Pontiac Grand Prix burn on Wednesday, just south of the Takhini Bridge on the Alaska Highway.

Though they attempted to contact the nearest fire department via cell phone, they quickly realized there is no coverage, and were forced to flag down passing traffic.

No one was injured in the incident.

“This is just another example of why we need (cell phone coverage),” Bob Atkinson, the volunteer chief of the Ibex Valley Fire Department, said today.

The men were assisted by a passing truck driver, said Atkinson. When they were unable to put out the fire with an extinguisher, the trucker drove into Whitehorse to notify the fire department. The Whitehorse Fire Department then called the Ibex Valley department.

By the time Ibex Valley reached the scene, the Mendenhall Fire Department was already on the scene with five firefighters. They had received a 911 call put through by a Yukon Energy truck with a two-way radio.

“It was pretty well burnt by the time we got there,” said Mendenhall Fire Chief Rod Leiske. He said there was also a significant lag in their response time, due to a lack of proper communication channels in the area.

The two men, who Atkinson estimated were in their 20s, had stopped at the side of the road to take pictures. Though there is no definite proof, the men believe the fire was started by a faulty barbecue lighter used for lighting a cigarette, said Atkinson.

Atkinson has been fighting to get cell phone coverage for two years, and believes it is imperative to ensuring the safety of people in the area. At a meeting with Premier Dennis Fentie last fall, Atkinson said, he received assurances that something would be done by this summer.

“Which (statement) should we believe?” asked Atkinson. He recently received an e-mail from Health and Social Services Minister Brad Cathers that assured him cell phone coverage is budgeted for this fiscal year, and could be in place by the fall.

“First the summer, now the fall? How far is this going to go?” asked Atkinson.

Cathers did not return the Star’s phone calls this morning.

Leiske has concerns about the lack of phones in the area.

“It’s a long way between. There’s no pay phones, no nothing out there,” said Leiske.

He said they have looked into installing a pay phone, but would have had to take care of putting the slab in, maintaining the phone and paying for it.

“We just don’t have the money right now,” said Leiske.

Latitude Wireless provides coverage for cell phone users in 17 surrounding communities in the Yukon, but does not provide coverage in Whitehorse, said spokesperson Chris McNutt. Latitude has no plans to extend its service into the Whitehorse area.

Bell Mobility provides coverage for Whitehorse. Spokesman Jeff Meerman told the Star that though Bell’s policy is not to dicuss future plans or products before they are launched, “Bell is always looking at our network, and looking at ways to expand.”

He acknowledged that expanding their network to the Ibex Valley is a possibility, but could not guess when or how it would happen.

Meerman said it is extremely costly to extend a network, and depends on many variables. If there are not enough customers to support the technology being put in place, then quite often it won’t happen.

“It has to be feasible,” he said.