Tampered fired alarms found after apartment fire

At 6:02 a.m. the Saskatoon Fire Department (SFD) received a report of a fire on the first floor of an apartment building at 1020 Matheson Drive. Three engines, one rescue truck, one ladder and one battalion chief unit were dispatched.

Upon arriving, fire crews observed smoke coming from the main door of the apartment building and also a lower-level suite window. Occupants of the building were evacuating.

Fire crews proceeded with an interior attack and advanced a hose line to apply water to the fire. Firefighters confirmed a small fire in the bedroom of the first-floor suite. Firefighters located the main source of the fire in a closet and extinguished the flames. Meanwhile, another crew continued to assist occupants who were not able to initially self-evacuate.

One occupant from the burned suite was assessed and treated by the ambulance service. The Saskatoon Police Service was also on scene with a van to keep occupants of the apartment building warm.

The fire was contained to one suite and was declared under control at 6:14 a.m. During the salvage and overhaul stage, crews ventilated the building of residual smoke and carbon monoxide. The building was fully vented and occupants were let back into their suites at 6:38 a.m.

SFD’s Fire Investigator deemed the cause of the fire as incendiary and noted the smoke alarms in the burned suite had been tampered with. Fire damage is estimated at $20,000.

SFD would like to remind residents to test their smoke alarms monthly. Tampering or removing life safety devices such as smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms is a criminal offence and can be subject to a fine up to $25,000.

SINGLE SOURCE, VERBATIM, PHOTOS SOURCE: SASKATOON FIRE DEPARTMENT