Saskatoon Fire - News Releases

At 09:35 a.m., the Saskatoon Fire Department received a report of a house fire with smoke and flame showing.  Three fire engines, one ladder truck, one rescue truck, the Battalion Chief and a Fire Investigator were dispatched to the scene.  First arriving fire crew and their officer reported heavy smoke showing.  All incoming fire crews were assigned tactical duties and extinguishment was initiated from the exterior into the interior.  Due to an extreme accumulation of items in the yard and the interior of the structure, this posed an extra challenge to firefighters as they advanced hose lines and water onto the fire.  The fire was knocked down at 09:46 a.m. while firefighters had to work around extremely congested conditions in order to get to the origin of the fire and complete extinguishment.  Searches were conducted to ensure no one was inside the structure in need of evacuation.  

No injuries occurred to firefighters or civilians due to this fire.

The Fire Investigator identified many contributing factors to this fire.  The utilities were not in service at the time of the fire.  An inappropriate and unsafe heat source identified as a hand made furnace in a bedroom caused the fire.  The makeshift furnace was constructed of a barrel to allow for items to be burned and inadequately vented through the bedroom window.  The amount of items inside the structure contributed to the spread of fire and its challenge in being extinguished.  Damage is estimated to be $50, 000 as the fire extended from the bedroom and its window into the roof.  Cause of the fire was determined to be accidental.

Due to the extreme amount of materials loitering inside and outside of the structure, the Fire Investigator will be issuing Orders under the Property Maintenance & Nuisance Abatement Bylaw 8175 requiring the removal of items and a separate Order will be issued requiring repairs to the structure due to the fire damage.  The house is being closed under the Authority of the Saskatoon Fire Department due to the lack of utilities, fire damage and the extreme accumulation identified.

One occupant is displaced due to this fire and has found alternate accommodations.  

The Saskatoon Fire Department has this week implemented a proactive emergency operations centre (EOC) to manage life safety and health issues related to those experiencing homelessness with the immediate goal of offering emergency shelter to anyone who is living outdoors.

“We believe there are likely over a hundred people who are without proper shelter in Saskatoon – that is, sleeping in the open or in makeshift shelters – so, we want to help them find safe, healthy and appropriate emergency shelter,” says Assistant Fire Chief Yvonne Raymer.

Raymer says this work has been ongoing but as the weather begins to turn, the situation is growing more emergent. The partner agencies including the Sawêyihtotân (suh-WAY-uh-toe-tahn) community outreach team led by the Saskatoon Tribal Council, the Saskatoon Housing Initiative Partnership (SHIP), Salvation Army, Saskatoon Police Service, and other agencies are working together to achieve four main goals:

• Identify the places or ‘camps’ where people are living in makeshift shelters
• Delegate a task force group to the camps
• Talk to the people who are unhoused to build trust
• Offer wrap-around supports: food, mental health and addiction support, access to elders and counselling, COVID testing, and ultimately long-term housing

"This is about working together as a whole community to support people in accessing emergency shelter – we are working on keeping individuals safe and finding ways to best support them with emergency wrap-around resources within our capacity. Right now, though, we can’t in good conscience allow people to live in the elements as the weather continues to get colder.

"We have learned from experiences in other municipalities that when large encampments happen, those create greater health and safety risks. We have already been called to fires at makeshift shelters. So, of course, we want to find a way around that and help people with viable, dignified options and continue to offer them supports, even if at first they decline," Raymer says.

Community outreach workers who are part of a task force will be at the forefront of this work. The team will work together to connect with those who are houseless in the locations where they are currently finding shelter in parks, natural areas, along the riverbank and other areas in Saskatoon.

The Saskatoon Fire Department recognizes homelessness is a complex issue which requires a whole-community response and it will continue to actively engage all partners in a collaborative process going forward.