Saskatoon Fire - News Releases

Saskatoon Fire Department's evening of fires started at 1727 hours when our communications centre received a call reporting a kitchen fire at a commercial restaurant on 24th Street East.  Four pumpers, a ladder truck, battalion chief and fire investigator responded to the call.  On arrival, light smoke was showing from the roof and fire crews found a fire in the commercial kitchen that extended into the ceiling space.  This fire was brought under control at 1757 hours.  The fire investigator identified that the fire originated on the top of the commercial cooking equipment.  Cause of the fire has been deemed an accidental grease fire that caused $10 000 in damage.

The fire investigator remains on scene for the fire that occurred at 0224 hours in the 500 block of Albert Avenue.  An update on the cause and origin will be released once the scene examination has been completed.

SFD received a call at 0649 hours, for a report of smoke showing in a basement in the  1100 block of 6th Street East.  Three pumpers, a ladder truck, a rescue unit, battalion chief and a fire investigator responded to the scene.  Fire crews on arrival identified a small fire in the basement.  No injuries occurred as a result of this fire.  A fire investigator is currently on scene completing the fire investigation.  Damage is $5000 from this fire that originated on the top of the stove.

Fire crews have cleared from these incidents and continue to serve our community.

The Saskatoon Fire Department responded to a structure fire where multiple 911 calls were received at 02:24 am. Neighbours reported through these calls that the 2 ½ storey house was fully involved in fire. The multi suite residential structure fire occurred in the 500 block of Albert Avenue.

Four engine companies, one rescue truck, one ladder truck, and Battalion Chief were part of the initial response. On arrival the first arriving apparatus found the structure fully involved with flame impinging on both neighboring homes to the north and south. 

Crews initially advanced hand lines to protect the exposure building from further damage then conducted a transitional fire attack to reduce the extensive flame and heat before entering the home. Once safe to do so, crews entered the home from the front of the building on the main floor and on the second floor through the rear of the building aggressively attacking the fire, while conducting a search on each floor of the building.  At approximately 03:04 a person was located on the third floor. 

There were seven people currently residing at the property. Six people were able to evacuate from the structure fire. Two people were transported to hospital. One person was found deceased.

A Saskatoon Fire Department Investigator and Saskatoon Police Service remain on scene at this time. A damage estimate and determination of cause is not available at this time.

At approximately 8:13 p.m. on August 1, 2020, the Saskatoon Fire Department received a 911 call reporting a detached residential garage on fire in the 200 block of Avenue G South. Three fire engines, one rescue unit, one aerial ladder truck, one fire investigation unit, and one battalion chief were dispatched for response. 

Arriving on scene in about two minutes, fire crews located a fully involved garage producing a significant amount of black smoke. As fire crews began connecting to nearby hydrants, the commanding fire officer notified fire dispatchers of a power pole on fire in the area and requested the attendance of the appropriate utility technicians. The fire, that had extended to a neighbouring fence, was quickly brought under control. Searches of the structure confirmed there to be no occupants or pets inside at the time of the fire and no injuries occurred as a result of this incident. Firefighters concluded their work on scene at around 9:14 p.m. and turned the scene over to a fire investigator. 

The fire investigator has confirmed this fire to be incendiary and has estimated the damage at approximately $30,000.

At approximately 7:25 a.m. on August 1, 2020, the Saskatoon Fire Department received multiple 911 calls reporting black smoke exiting a residential structure in the 800 block of 20th Street West. Three fire engines, one rescue unit, one aerial ladder truck, one fire investigation unit, and one battalion chief were dispatched for response. 

The first fire engine arrived on scene in two minutes to find a small bungalow with smoke visible from the exterior; firefighters were alerted on scene to the possibility of an occupant in the basement. Immediately connecting to nearby hydrants and making entry into the structure, firefighters located and extinguished a fire in the basement. All occupants were soon accounted for and were confirmed to have safely self-evacuated prior to the arrival of fire crews. Firefighters considered the fire to be under control by about 7:46 a.m. and confirmed the fire to have been contained to the basement. Ventilation was started to clear a significant amount of smoke from the structure. While performing searches, one deceased cat was located in the basement. Fire crews have since concluded on scene and returned to their stations to continue serving Saskatoon. 

A fire investigator has identified this fire to be accidental as a result of the improper disposal of smoking materials. Damage is estimated at approximately $25,000. 

At approximately 1:43 a.m. on August 1, 2020, the Saskatoon Fire Department received a 911 call reporting a garage on fire in the 300 block of 10th Street East; additional calls indicated multiple garages on fire at this location. Three fire engines, one rescue unit, one aerial ladder truck, one fire investigation unit, and one battalion chief were dispatched for response.

Arriving on scene in about three minutes, fire crews located two fully involved detached residential garages and a household garbage bin on fire. Live, arcing power lines had fallen as a result of the fire; fire dispatchers alerted the appropriate utility technicians to attend the scene. An immediate defensive fire attack was initiated, with firefighters bringing the fire under control in about 10 minutes from the time of the first 911 call being processed. In addition to the garages, fire crews also extinguished a household garbage bin a short distance down the alley and a large tree that the garage fires had extended to. There were no injuries to fire or civilian personnel as a result of this incident. 

Both fire and police investigators have concluded on scene, confirming this fire to be incendiary with damage estimated at about $30,000. 

At around 12:49 a.m. on August 1, 2020, the Saskatoon Fire Department received many 911 calls reporting a vehicle on fire near a building in the 500 block of 5th Avenue North. One fire engine, one fire investigation unit, and one battalion chief responded. 

Arriving on scene in less than four minutes, firefighters immediately deployed a hose line and used the fire engine's on-board water supply to extinguish a fully involved GMC truck. Fire crews searched the truck and confirmed there to be no occupants inside. Minor heat damage occurred to the building as a result of this fire; the truck will be a total loss.

A fire investigator has confirmed the fire to have originated in the engine compartment and has estimated the damage to be approximately $15,000. 

At approximately 8:53 a.m. on July 30, 2020, the Saskatoon Fire Department received a 911 call reporting a grass fire in the area of the Saskatchewan Railway Museum, near Highway 60 south of Saskatoon; the caller reported the fire to be moving towards nearby structures. One fire engine, two brush trucks, two water tankers, and one battalion chief were committed to this incident. 

Upon arrival, firefighters immediately began work to extinguish the fire and protect surrounding exposures; using water tankers to establish a water supply on scene and moving across the rural terrain in brush trucks, fire crews extinguished multiple small fires in the area. Firefighters concluded their work on scene by about 11:38 a.m. when the commanding fire officer declared the loss to be stopped. No structures or museum artifacts were lost as a result of the fire and no injuries occurred.

As this area is outside of the Saskatoon Fire Department's investigative jurisdiction, a cause and origin determination was not conducted.

At approximately 9:52 p.m. on July 29, 2020, the Saskatoon Fire Department was alerted by both an alarm company and a 911 call to reports of water flowing into the parking garage of a multi-unit residential structure in the 400 block of Avenue C South. One fire engine was dispatched to investigate the concern. 

Arriving in less than one minute, firefighters found an audible alarm sounding, a large evacuation in progress, and a significant amount of water flowing into the parking garage. As fire crews worked to find the source of the water, fire dispatchers began locating information about the building as well as its fire suppression equipment and servicing history. Firefighters confirmed the water to be coming from a compromised water main and requested the attendance of utility technicians from the City of Saskatoon. Most residents were able to safely remove their vehicles from the parking garage without issue while the water was being shut off. 

The commanding fire officer informed the building manager that a fire watch would be required due to the fire suppression equipment and alarm panel being out of commission. Fire crews left the scene with the building manager at about 11:44 p.m. and returned to their stations to continue serving Saskatoon. A damage estimate for this incident is not available.

At approximately 10:07 p.m. on July 29, 2020, the Saskatoon Fire Department received a 911 call reporting the anchor of an inflatable craft to have become entangled in the river with three persons on board the craft; as fire dispatchers obtained additional information, one person was reported to have gone missing from the craft. One fire engine, one water rescue unit, one public affairs official, and one battalion chief were committed to this incident.

The water rescue unit was deployed onto the South Saskatchewan River from an emergency boat launch and immediately advanced towards the area; quickly locating two persons and their craft, fire crews communicated with members of the Saskatoon Police Service who had located and safely retrieved the third person from this group near the shoreline of the Gordie Howe Bridge.

No injuries were sustained as a result of this incident. The water rescue unit has since been removed from the water and all fire personnel have returned to continue serving the residents and visitors of Saskatoon.

At approximately 6:37 p.m. on July 29, 2020, the Saskatoon Fire Department received several 911 calls reporting visible smoke and flames coming from the roof of the Confederation Mall, located at 300 Confederation Drive. Three fire engines, one rescue unit, one aerial ladder truck, one fire investigation unit, and one battalion chief were dispatched for response. 

Firefighters arrived on scene in just over one minute to find a significant amount of smoke in the area of the roof. Immediately making entry to the commercial structure, fire crews located the fire and extinguished it in less than 20 minutes from the time of the first fire engine arriving on scene; both a fire extinguisher and a fire hose flowing water were used in this fire's extinguishment. Firefighters were confident in confirming that the fire had not extended into the structure by about 7:06 p.m. and began concluding their work on scene. No injuries to fire or civilian personnel were reported as a result of this incident. 

A fire investigator is conducting a cause and origin investigation to identify the specifics of this fire; the damage has not yet been assessed.