Fire in University Bridge structure prompts after action review

The Saskatoon Emergency Management Organization will conduct an after-action review to probe additional and potential solutions to further mitigate trespassing and intrusions under the river crossing bridge structures.

The move comes after the Saskatoon Fire Department responded to a small fire under the University Bridge Sunday afternoon. Upon extinguishing the fire, the scene was transferred to the Fire Investigator for examination to determine the cause, origin and estimate of damage.

Following the investigation, the Fire Investigator was unable to identify a definitive cause or source of the fire. Therefore, the cause of the fire is classified as “undetermined.” There is no damage estimate available at this time.

The investigation, however, revealed there were signs of unauthorized individuals in the secured area near the fire.

The City has previously invested $256,000 on installing steel mesh barriers topped with razor wire on both sides of the University bridge following a more damaging fire underneath the east side of the bridge in January 2025. At the time, city officials carefully considered options that would deter access but ones that would still allow access beneath the bridge for bridge inspections and necessary utility work.

It’s expected the review will take until the end of spring.