The Saskatoon Fire Department is reflecting on a tragic anniversary marking a fire that happened 42 years ago, claiming the life of two of its members.
The fire at the Queen’s Hotel in downtown Saskatoon in 1980 saw a pair of firefighters go into the basement of the hotel, but they never came out.
“It’s crucial for us to remember those who gave the ultimate sacrifice and gave their life,” Saskatoon Fire Chief Morgan Hackl told CTV News.
Victor Budz and Dennis Guenter both died in the fire. Their deaths resulted in changes to the way firefighters are kept safe while in the line of duty, according to Hackl.
“It’s important to remember the tragedy and to reflect on safety in the workplace, training and working together as one,” he says.
Improvements have been made across the country as a result of the tragedy. Changes including having air tanks with an air supply of up to one hour for members who are trapped inside a fire.
In the 1980 fire, that supply was only 15 minutes. Another change came in the way members can easily send an alert to those outside of the fire if they are in danger. That wasn’t the case on that day in 1980 when the two firefighters couldn’t find their way out after their oxygen tanks hit the fire causing an explosion and trapped the men.
“They didn’t know what they were going into and in a short period of time in that basement, what happened was that clear path they had turned into they blackness and smoke and they were unable to find their way out,” he said.
A memorial featuring a statue of the pair who died in the line of duty is located outside of firehall #6 on Taylor Street. There’s also a plaque on the current building site where the hotel once stood at the corner of 20th Street and 2nd Avenue.