SASKATOON – Update: The structure fire in the 1600 Block Avenue 1st Avenue North to a multi-unit building had to be bulldozed to the ground by an excavator, according to the Saskatoon Fire Department.
Fires had kept flaring up and it wasn’t possible to fully put out the fire. This created a risk of collapse due to the structural integrity lost from the fire and the added weight of water used to combat the fire.
The utilities were shut off and the lines removed by appropriate utility agencies. An excavation company safely dropped the structure to allow firefighters to fully extinguish the structure. At 6:03 p.m. most of the structure had been dropped to the ground and the locations of fires were extinguished.
The Fire Investigator arranged security fencing at the site of the dropped structure. SFD's Fire Investigator will work the police investigator if a cause of the fire can be determined. No cause and origin scene examination was possible due to the state of the structure not being safe to investigate.
An order to complete the removal of debris through a demolition process will be completed by the Fire Investigator. The cause is still under investigation and damage is estimated at $500,000.
The occupants have been rehoused.
Original story - Saskatoon firefighters are battling a structure fire in the Kelsey-Woodlawn in the 1600 Block of 1st Avenue North.
According to the Saskatoon Fire Department, they got a call at 8:38 a.m. on April 2 of a possible structure fire. Three fire engines, one ladder truck, one rescue unit and the Battalion Chief responded. When the first arriving fire crews got to the scene, they reported a fully involved structure fire with multiple suites. Tactical duties were assigned for incoming fire crews. The fire Investigator was requested.
Utilities were requested to be shut down for scene safety. This is still an active fire at this time. No injuries have been reported at this time. All occupants have been reported as safely evacuated.
SFD's Fire Investigator will be working with the Saskatoon Police Investigator. No fire investigation has begun at this point. No cause, origin, damage estimate is available at this time.
More to come
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