Saskatoon Fire - News Releases

At approximately 12:13 a.m. on June 28, 2020, the Saskatoon Fire Department received a 911 call from an employee of a fast food restaurant in the 900 block of 51st Street East reporting a commercial kitchen appliance on fire. Three fire engines, one rescue unit, one aerial ladder truck, one fire investigation unit, and one battalion chief responded.

Fire crews arrived on scene in less than four minutes to find all occupants self-evacuating; it was reported that attempts by staff members to extinguish the fire were unsuccessful. Firefighters ensured utilities servicing the appliance were shut down before using a dry chemical fire extinguisher and the building's automatic extinguishing system to fully extinguish the fire; the commanding fire officer considered the loss to be stopped at around 12:44 a.m.. Fire crews established a laddered connection to the building's roof to search for possible extension of the fire; with no extension found, firefighters turned the building over to a fire investigator and returned to their stations.

A fire investigator has confirmed the fire to have been an accidental grease fire that originated inside of a commercial deep fryer. Damage has been estimated at approximately $10,000. 

At approximately 3:18 a.m. on June 29, 2020, the Saskatoon Fire Department was alerted to a motor vehicle collision at Idylwyld Drive North and Highway 16; it was reported that a single vehicle had rolled, trapping an occupant inside. Two fire engines, one rescue unit, and one battalion chief were dispatched for response.

Firefighters arrived in about four minutes and immediately began work to stabilize and de-energize a Hyundai SUV; of the vehicle's two occupants, one middle-aged female had self-evacuated prior to the arrival of fire crews and one middle-aged male was confirmed to be trapped inside with critical injuries. The trapped occupant was medically assessed and treated by firefighter-paramedics inside of the heavily damaged vehicle as additional fire crews cut an opening into the passenger side to gain better access.

Both occupants were accompanied by firefighter-paramedics en-route to the hospital; the female driver with undetermined injuries and the male passenger with critical, life-threatening injuries. The scene was preserved and left for the Saskatoon Police Service's Collision Analyst Unit to investigate further. 

Firefighters cleared the scene at around 4:00 a.m. and returned to their stations to continue serving Saskatoon.

At approximately 8:31 p.m. on June 23, 2020, the Saskatoon Fire Department received multiple 911 calls reporting a grass fire in the area of the Wastewater Treatment Plant, located in the 400 block of Whiteswan Drive. One fire engine, one water tanker, one brush truck, one fire investigation unit, and one battalion chief responded. Callers had reported the smoke to be continuously getting worse.

Firefighters first responded to the east end of Adilman Drive to obtain visual confirmation of where the fire was burning; upon completion of that assessment, response was continued into the Wastewater Treatment Plant to position equipment and personnel closer to the location of the fire. Fire crews worked to extinguish the fire along the riverbank until the commanding fire officer declared the fire to be under control at around 8:47 p.m.; firefighters then continued to soak down the area and extinguish hot spots until the loss was considered stopped. There was no imminent risk of extension to nearby structures and no injuries were reported as a result of this incident.

A fire investigator searched the area for a possible source of ignition; however, the investigative findings remained inconclusive. This was the second day in a row that a grass fire was extinguished in this same area.

At approximately 7:39 p.m. on June 22, 2020, the Saskatoon Fire Department received a single 911 call reporting a possible structure fire in the 200 block of East Place. Three fire engines, one rescue unit, one aerial ladder truck, one fire investigation unit, and one battalion chief were dispatched for response.

The first fire engine arrived on scene in about three minutes to find the exterior cedar siding and cedar roof shakes of a large residential house to have recently been on fire; upon further evaluation, it was determined that a contractor who had been building a fence on-site noticed the fire and extinguished it using buckets of water and a garden hose. Firefighters conducted overhaul efforts and searched for extension prior to returning to their stations to continue serving Saskatoon. There were no injuries to the fire or civilian personnel on scene as a result of this incident.

While examining the fire scene and components of an exterior outlet, a fire investigator has confirmed the fire to be accidental with the cause being electrical in nature. Damage has been estimated at approximately $20,000. The fire is not believed to be related to the work being completed by the contractor that had been on-site.

At approximately 1:12 p.m. on June 22, 2020, the Saskatoon Fire Department received multiple 911 calls reporting a grass fire along the riverbank near the Silverwood Heights neighbourhood. One fire engine, one brush truck, and one battalion chief responded; all responding fire apparatus attended to the east end of Adilman Drive to establish a fire attack strategy.

Fire crews connected to the closest hydrant as firefighters continued off-road in the brush truck towards the riverbank. A small but growing fire was located near the fence line of the Wastewater Treatment Plant. The fire was brought under control at around 1:49 p.m., with fire crews continuing to extinguish hot spots for some time thereafter. There were no injuries reported and no structures were at risk as a result of this fire. It is unknown how the fire might have started. 

Fire crews have since cleared the scene, returning to their stations to continue serving Saskatoon.