Structure Fire - 400 block of Avenue G South

At approximately 7:39 a.m. on August 22, 2020, the Saskatoon Fire Department received a 911 call reporting a significant amount of smoke in the area; upon further investigation, the caller confirmed smoke to be exiting a residential structure in the 400 block of Avenue G South. Three fire engines, one rescue unit, one aerial ladder truck, one fire investigation unit, and one battalion chief were committed to this incident. 

Arriving on scene in just over two minutes, firefighters found a boarded-up residential structure with smoke visibly exiting from the front. Fire crews immediately made entry, quickly locating and extinguishing a fire on the main level; by about 7:59 a.m. the commanding fire officer deemed the fire to be under control. While searching the structure, firefighters located and removed a live cat from the basement; it was left in the care of a neighbour until the Saskatoon Animal Control Agency could retrieve it. There were no occupants found in the structure and no injuries occurred as a result of this incident. 

A fire investigator has identified this fire to be incendiary, noting extensive water, smoke, and heat damage throughout the structure; the damage has been estimated at around $150,000.