Saskatoon police arrest homeless person at scene of encampment fire under University Bridge

Saskatoon police arrested a homeless person at the scene of an encampment underneath the University Bridge on Friday morning.

The Saskatoon Fire Department says it received a call about the fire around 9:18 a.m. on Friday. When crews arrived at the base of the bridge at Spadina Crescent and 25th Street East, they saw smoke “coming from an active encampment underneath.”

Firefighters found a person at the scene who was taken into police custody, the fire department said, and the crew put out the small fire.

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Just after 11 a.m., the fire department was still on scene with a rescue truck, high-angle rescue team, and city engineers.

“The scene is being assessed for safety before being handed over to the fire investigator for further examination,” the fire department said in a news release Friday morning.

In an updated release Friday afternoon, the fire department said city engineers assessed the fire and there is no structural damage to the bridge.

According to the fire department, the scene was cleared at 11:59 a.m. and the bridge was reopened to traffic.