A safe was found welded to the ground during the demolition of Bonanza Steakhouse after the building was significantly damaged by fire in February.
Contractor Ryan Schwab found the safe and said, while the tumbler on it had been destroyed during demolition, he’s committed to getting it open somehow.
“We got a couple guys on the line who might be able to open it up they say,” Schwab told CTV Saskatoon at the site. “I want to get it restored so I can use it.”
The owner of the restaurant said he’s known about the safe for the 21 years he’s owned the restaurant but never thought to open it up and see what’s inside.
“We were curious at first, when we first moved in,” Baba said. “But figured the previous owners wouldn’t have left behind anything valuable.”
He said the safe was first installed in the office by previous owners but when Bonanza took over, the safe ended up in the women’s washroom, which is why Baba put a garbage can over it.
The entire building along Eighth Street East was demolished by the end of Thursday.
Firefighters were called to restaurant just after 10:30 p.m. February 21.
Crews initially tackled the fire from inside the building, but were forced outside within the first 10 minutes when flames in the ceiling started to burn through the roof.
A second-alarm sent additional fire crews to the scene about 45 minutes after the first call.
Seventy-eight firefighters responded in total, and the blaze was extinguished several hours after the initial call, according to the Saskatoon Fire Department.
Baba says he wants to rebuild the restaurant in the same location, but he’s waiting to learn more about the insurance claim to see if that’s possible.
No one was injured in the fire. At the time, damage was estimated at $2 million.
-With files from CTV Saskatoon's Kevin Menz and Laura Woodward
