Whitehorse home seriously damaged in fire

Whitehorse firefighters put out a blaze this morning which seriously damaged a home in the Porter Creek neighbourhood.

Fire and emergency medical service crews visited the house three times within 24 hours. The first call came at around 8:30 p.m. PT Sunday night with a report of smoke in the attic.

Firefighters were able to put out a small blaze near the chimney.

"We did come back at midnight to check and see if their were any hotspots. There were no hospots. We advised the owner at that time to leave in case of a rekindle which often happens in older homes and places like this with smaller attics where you can't get access without cutting the roof open," said Morley McKay, the acting platoon chief.

Firefighters then got another call at about 6 a.m. PT Monday with reports of flames shooting through the roof of the house.

The owner, Marius Moustakas, had ignored firefighters' previous warnings to leave the house, but he was able to escape unharmed.

Last month, the Supreme Court ordered Moustakas tostop bootlegging activitiesat the house. The Yukon government is trying to have him evicted for 90 days under the Safer Communities And Neighbourhoods legislation.

However, McKay said the house might now be a write-off due to damage from the fire.