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An apartment building on Appleby Drive in Saskatoon’s Meadowgreen neighbourhood was ablaze before 4 p.m. on Thursday.
Five Saskatoon Fire Department engines and dozens of firefighters responded to the incident at 806 Appleby Drive.
A release from the fire department said the fire was reported around 3:16 p.m.
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“Firefighters observed smoke while en route, confirming a structure fire,” the release from the City of Saskatoon stated. “Upon arrival, crews observed smoke and visible fire originating from a third-storey balcony of a three-storey apartment building.”
Police tape was put up as hundreds of people stood outside, watching the building burn as smoke and flames poured out of the building. Firefighters were seen paying attention to a third-floor unit using the ladder truck.
Savannah and Faith Cote, who live on the apartment’s second floor, were part of the crowd outside watching firefighters come in and out of the scorched building.
“I heard screaming outside, but nobody was fighting,” Savannah said around the time the fire started.
She went to take a look. “That’s when they started screaming and saying that there was a fire, and then I heard the fire alarm.”
It was around 3:30 p.m. that she yelled to her siblings to get out.
By the time they evacuated, the fire was “bulging out” of “all four corners” of the third-floor unit, according to Savannah.
“That’s scary to experience,” she said.
Police were going around and asking residents if they had somewhere else to stay for the night, but Savannah wasn’t sure.
“We’re just waiting for (our) dad right now, but it’s just us and our family in the city. So, we don’t honestly know,” she said about where they’d go.
Once her family is able to get back into the apartment, Savannah expected there will be smoke damage to deal with.
The Saskatoon Fire Department responds to an apartment fire on Appleby Drive on Thurs, May 21, 2026. (Marija Robinson/650 CKOM)
According to the fire department, everyone in the apartment was believed to have been evacuated.
Crews used a hose to apply water to the fire from the outside while a second crew searched the building inside to confirm everyone had been evacuated. Fire hoses were then advanced inside to check for fire spread, according to the release.
The fire was completely extinguished. Large fans were set up to help remove lingering smoke and toxins from the apartment building.
No civilians or firefighters were injured.
No cause of the fire was is known at this time, but firefighters said the incident will be investigated by the Fire Investigation Unit, who was on scene.
– with files from 650 CKOM’s Marija Robinson
The Saskatoon Fire Department responds to a fire on Appleby Drive on Thurs, May 21, 2026. (Marija Robinson/650 CKOM)
