Two overnight fires in Saskatoon were caused by arson, the city’s fire investigator says.
In a release, the Saskatoon Fire Department says it responded to a fire in the Mayfair neighbourhood just after 12:30 a.m. Wednesday.
When crews got to the 200 block of 33rd Street West, they saw smoke coming from a small, boarded-up, mixed-use residential/commercial structure.
Firefighters had to cut through a chain-link fence to get to the structure. When they did, they were met with heavy, dark smoke and mild heat.
They found a fire in the basement and were able to put it out.
A search of the structure confirmed there weren’t any occupants, pets or other fires. No injuries were reported.
The fire department says crews found hoarding-like conditions in the structure, impacting access, safety and extinguishment strategies.
Damage is estimated at $50,000.
Then at around 1:44 a.m., fire crews were called out to the Pleasant Hill neighbourhood to respond to another boarded-up structure with flames visible from the front.
The fire in the 1800 block of 20th Street West was brought under control in about 10 minutes.
A thermal-imaging camera was used to conduct searches of the structure and it was confirmed there weren’t any occupants or pets inside and no further extension of the fire had taken place.
There weren’t any injuries.
Damage is estimated at $25,000.