FNTI loses hangar in massive structural fire

The First Nations Technical Institute has lost its hangar structure and equipment after a massive structural fire late last week. No staff or students were harmed by the fire, but FNTI lost its entire fleet of 13 aircraft, five of which had been purchased recently, as well as its maintenance operations office and equipment for servicing the planes. The estimated damage is in the tens of millions of dollars. Buildings that were adjacent to the hangar have been impacted by the heat, but FNTI says that they did not experience serious damage. “We had to first grieve our loss. We’ve had some condolence ceremonies conducted by Elders, just so we can accept what happened and we’re ready to move on,” said Jo-Anne Tabobandung, FNTI’s dean of aviation. “In the interim, we’re trying to get some of the students moving ahead with their training. We have reached out, and we have students flying right now actually. They’re set up in Cornwall and Kingston, they’ve offered to help support some of our students and our training.” Global News reports that FNTI plans to rebuild the hanger.