SASKATOON — Two structure fires kept Saskatoon Fire Department crews busy on Saturday, July 27. They first responded to a house fire at 1:14 a.m. and a commercial building at 2:07 a.m.
A house caught fire in the 300 block of Childers Crescent in the Kensington Area west of the city. When firefighters arrived, they saw flames coming out the rear of the building.
The incident commander assigned tactical duties: one crew advanced hose lines to water the house’s exterior while another crew checked to see if all occupants had evacuated.
Once fire crews had extinguished and ventilated the house, the fire investigator took over the scene. All occupants of the house were accounted for.
At past 2 a.m., another firehouse responded to another structure fire in the 800 block of 2nd Avenue North.
The first arriving firefighters saw smoke and fire coming from the rear of a large commercial building. They advanced hose lines to apply water to the flames from the exterior.
They began to enter the My Fresh Produce store, a locally-owned market selling fresh fruits. It was confirmed that all occupants were safely evacuated and no injuries were reported.
The fire could have started in one of the two trash bins at the back of the establishment, as both were severely burned.
The owner said the fire damaged almost 90 percent of their inventory, so they are holding a three-day sale of what is left until Tuesday, July 30. Their establishment will be closed for renovation as the front side of the store also suffered significant damage.
A fire investigator took over both scenes of the fire to examine and identify the cause, origin and damage estimate. Further information will be provided as it becomes available.
