‘Smoking materials’ sparked $5 million fire that destroyed 26 condos

The fire department rescued some residents but said no deaths or injuries were reported despite “challenging” conditions.

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Residents of a Sutherland condominium building lost their homes Saturday after an out-of-control fire ravaged the building beyond repair.

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The Saskatoon Fire Department says “improper disposal of smoking materials” sparked the fire that eventually destroyed one of Twin Peaks’ two condo buildings near 108th St. E and Bryans Ave, causing an estimated $5 million in damage. .

The resulting inferno took hours to put out. The fire department said it had to rescue some residents of the building early Saturday, many of whom spent the night in hotel rooms arranged by the Salvation Army. No injuries or deaths were reported.

Property manager Trevor Hanna said fire inspectors told him the 26-unit condo is beyond salvation.

“It’s terrible. It’s a destroyed building, and a third of it had to come down because it wasn’t safe,” said Hanna, co-owner and broker with Saskatoon Real Estate Services.

As of Saturday afternoon, the eastern portion of the three-story building was in ruins, with remnants of wicker baskets, cleaning supplies and clothing sticking out from under piles of charred wood and insulation. The air stank of wet ash. A pair of workers with rakes tried to pick up what debris they could from the outside of a chain-link fence that surrounded the wood-framed building. What remained of the structure was capped with ash, marking the spot where the fire engulfed the roof.

“The roof is completely gone,” Hanna said.

The department believes the fire started outside the northwest corner of the building’s ground floor. He did not say specifically where the cause was a discarded cigarette, marijuana joint, or other tobacco or cannabis product. It is not known if the person who accidentally started the fire was a resident.

“This was a challenging fire due to many circumstances,” the department said in a statement. “Firefighters made incredible rescues and battled through extreme fire conditions.”

The department and police responded to the fire in the early morning hours and were there for hours extinguishing hot spots before parts of the building could finally be brought down.

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Mitch Kachur’s mother-in-law lives on a property nearby. She said she called him a little after 1 a.m. Saturday morning after a Saskatoon police officer politely but firmly told her that she needed to leave the house immediately.

He said it was “unbelievable” that no one was hurt.

“There were sparks so big they were going up over his head,” he said.

Salvation Army Maj. Mike Hoeft said the nonprofit helped set up a dozen hotel rooms for people displaced by the fire who were uninsured or unsure of their coverage. He didn’t know exactly how many people were staying. He said the agency would work with former residents in the coming days to come up with a durable housing plan if needed.

“If they continue to be in need, we will make sure they are taken care of,” Hoeft said.

The fire department is hosting a press conference with more information on Sunday.

Correction: An earlier version of this story described Salvation Army spokesman Mark Hoeft as Sgt. In fact, he holds the title of major in that organization.

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