SASKATOON — Early Monday morning, July 4, Saskatoon Fire Department responded to two almost simultaneous fires a block apart.
The fire investigator concluded both fires were suspicious in origin.
At 5:39 a.m., the SFD received a report of a porch fully involved in the 300 block of Avenue J South. The flames were visible from the street according to the first arriving fire crew.
Neighbours of the structure chose to evacuate their homes as a safety precaution, according to SFD.
Firefighters prioritized protecting the nearby properties as they began extinguishing the fire.
This fire was brought under control at 5:51 a.m. and at 6:41 a.m. firefighters declared the structure fire completely extinguished.
Some fire crews, however, had to be assigned and deployed to a nearby fire in the 300 block of Avenue K South while the Avenue J operation was ongoing.
Fire crews identified the fire in the yard of a property adjacent to the structure fire across the alley on Avenue K South, which was brought under control at 6:04 a.m.
No injuries to civilians or firefighters occurred and both scenes were turned over to the fire investigator, who concluded both structure fires suspicious.
The fire in the 300 block of Avenue J South started at the structure’s porch with damage estimated at $175,000, while the one origin of the fire on Avenue K South was in a couch in the yard which caused about $1,500 in damage.
Anyone with any information on these two fires is asked to call the Saskatoon Police Service at 306-975-8300.
