Fire severely damages Saskatoon warehouse

Saskatoon fire crews have brought a large commercial building fire on the 2600 block of Jasper Avenue under control.

Around 11:27 a.m. on Wednesday, crews responded to reports of a commercial building on fire on the 2600 block of Jasper Avenue where they observed heavy smoke coming from the back of a warehouse.

A second alarm was called shortly after due to the fire's size and proximity to other structures. Another two engines, one ladder truck, and Command 9 were dispatched to assist the four fire engines on site, according to the Saskatoon Fire Department (SFD).

The roof of the structure was “severely compromised” but remained intact after firefighters contained the blaze.

"There appeared to be a heavy fire load inside of the building due to the nature of the type of building it is. There was still smoke approximately 15 minutes later. The incident commander called for a second alarm which brought a total of about seven engines, two ladders, and our battalion chief to the scene," Acting Fire Chief Rob Hogan said.

All occupants were safely evacuated, and there have been no reported injuries. 

(Chad Hills/CTV News)

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Clark Goebel and Brady Kazuska work for Prestige Flooring and saw the fire from start to finish.

"We were cleaning windows, and a co-worker came out and said there was a fire, and then I saw the flames, and I ran to the back of the door to grab a fire extinguisher," Goebel said.

The pair attempted to put the fire out before it got out of control, but it was too late.

"yeah the flames were just roaring out the door, so we started trying to take care of the fire, but we couldn't slow it down too much because it just filled up with carpet and wood, so it's pretty much just a box waiting to go," Kazuska said.

The fire prompted nearby businesses to evacuate. Anil Sharma runs a clinic in the adjacent building.

"The alarm system was triggered from all the smoke, and the fire department closed down the clinic for safety reasons for the rest of the day. Hopefully, we can schedule those patients in for later this week," Sharma said.

The SFD said a fire investigator is working to identify the cause and origin of the blaze.

—With files from Noah Rishaug