SASKATOON — The Saskatoon Fire Department responded to a fire in a boarded and vacant house in the 100 block of Avenue F South on Monday, Dec. 5.
The SFD dispatch centre received the call at 5:39 a.m. and dispatched three fire engines, one ladder truck, a rescue unit and the Battalion Chief.
It was unknown if anyone was inside the structure at the time of the fire, with the first arriving firefighters reporting smoke coming out from an upper-floor window.
Fire crews learned utilities had been shut down before arrival while other incoming teams were assigned their tactical duties.
They breached the entrance to access the structure where they located the fire in a bedroom on the upper floor. The fire was brought under control at 6:10 a.m.
Firefighters did not find an occupant inside the structure, as it was learned that the structure had become vacant 10 days before the fire.
A fire investigator attended and conducted a scene examination where it was identified that a board was missing from the structure with a window broken, allowing entry by unknown persons.
The fire had originated on a mattress on the second floor of a bedroom, but its cause is still undetermined. The damage is estimated at $20,000.
The structure has been turned over to the property owner, who will secure it. The fire investigator will follow up with an order requiring repairs.
