Saskatoon Fire Department Responds to New Years Eve Structure Fire – Saskatoon | The Canadian News

The Saskatoon fire department responded to a fire at a structure in the 400 block of Avenue R South on New Year’s Eve.

According to a statement, Saskatoon police officers on patrol reported the structure burning at 9:21 p.m.

Fire crews were dispatched to the scene and reported that the structure was completely involved.

An exterior fire attack was initiated on arrival with limited entry to the structure due to the amount of fire and unsafe conditions.

Neighboring houses were at risk of catching fire, so firefighters were assigned to protect them.

A part of the structure involved in the fire had to be demolished with an excavator at 3:19 a.m.

According to the release, a wall was at immediate risk of falling due to the loss of structural strength combined with the weight of the freezing water.

Temperatures in the city dropped to -49 C with the icy wind around midnight.

Dismantling part of the building also helped firefighters extinguish an area of ​​fire that was not accessible from the outside.

A resident reported to be living in the home was not accounted for during the fire and Saskatoon police are following up.

SaskEnergy and Saskatoon Light and Power were notified to disconnect services for security reasons.

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City of Saskatoon trucks were also on the scene to spread sand on streets and sidewalks due to the icy conditions created by the water used to fight the fire.

The police maintained traffic control and the ambulance service was on standby.

Initially, three fire trucks, a ladder truck and a rescue unit were dispatched to the scene along with the battalion chief and a fire investigator.

Off-duty firefighters were called in to operate reserve fire trucks to ensure adequate resources were maintained.

Throughout the fire, 10 additional fire crews were rotated through the fire scene to avoid exposure to the cold and provide relief.

The fire investigator was unable to make an examination of the cause and origin of the scene. Damage to the structure is estimated at $ 150,000.

The area around the structure has been fenced off and the fire department posted a Notice of Closure on the property.

The fire investigator will issue a repair order to ensure that a complete demolition of the structure is carried out as soon as possible.

No firefighters were injured as a result of the fire.

Saskatoon fire crews responded to 36 incidents in total during their 14-hour shift and this fire was an incident.

Fire crews left the scene just before 8 a.m. Saturday.