'It's a pretty traumatic thing': Resident of Rosthern apartment recounts son's exit from burning building
A person is dead following a fire in a Rosthern, Sask. apartment building, according to RCMP.
Emergency responders were called to the building on 4th Avenue in Rosthern around 9 a.m. Thursday, RCMP said in a news release.
All other residents evacuated from the building safely, RCMP said.
Apartment resident Gilbert Baldhead was at work when he received a call from his 19-year-old son saying their building was on fire.
Baldhead says he could see smoke from the highway as he rushed back into town to meet him.
“He was pretty shaken up. He told me what he went through helping the family below us; helping a mother and a child out the front door. Their kids were evacuated on the balcony,” he said.
Gilbert Baldhead lived in the apartment building where a fire broke out on Friday. (Miriam Valdes-Carletti / CTV News)
Baldhead says he knows the person who died.
“It never dawned on me that she was in there,” he said. “It’s a pretty traumatic thing, but just speaking to some of the people around here today, the town of Rosthern is coming to some of the tenant’s aid and I’m thankful for that.”
Baldhead also thanked One Arrow First Nation for putting him and his son up in a hotel room in Saskatoon for a week.
He said his son was still in shock over the incident.
Jason Andres has been the live-in caretaker of the building for four years and says he and his daughter are going to have to find a place to live in the meantime.
“It’s hard. It’s going to be a hard Christmas this year. We’ll survive, I guess. We have lots of family around,” Andres told CTV News.
Andres is unsure how the fire started. He says it’s unlikely many of the units were untouched by thick smoke, saying residents have yet to return to collect their belongings.
“They’re all emotional and sad. They’re very stressed. They have to find a place to live in such a short time,” he said.
Andres and Baldhead say the property manager is working to find homes for displaced residents in Hague and surrounding areas, along with support from the town of Rosthern.
The Hague fire department assisted Rosthern firefighters, with local paramedics and Wakaw RCMP also responding.
The coroner was called to the scene to investigate the death, RCMP said.
-With files from Miriam Valdes-Carletti
The Sask. RCMP says one person is dead following a fire in this apartment building on 4th Ave in Rosthern. (Photo: Facebook/Angel Wall)
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'COVID is not done,' Canadian infectious disease expert says ahead of WHO announcement
While RSV and flu cases steadily decline in Canada, the World Health Organization is set to announce on Monday whether it still considers COVID-19 a global health emergency, but one infectious disease specialist says we still need to keep an eye on the coronavirus.

Father pushing Manitoba to follow Ontario, Saskatchewan in screening for CMV
Roughly one in 200 babies born in Canada today will have congenital cytomegalovirus, a virus that can lead to hearing loss, intellectual disability or vision loss. But with only two provinces screening newborns for CMV, one father is asking other health-care systems to do more.
19 vehicles towed, dozens of tickets issued as rally marks one-year anniversary of 'Freedom Convoy' in Ottawa
OPS and Ottawa Bylaw officers issued 117 parking tickets and 47 Provincial Offences Notices Saturday, as hundreds of people marked the one-year anniversary of the 'Freedom Convoy'.
Former Mississauga, Ont. mayor Hazel McCallion dies at 101
Former Mississauga, Ont. mayor Hazel McCallion, nicknamed 'Hurricane Hazel,' has died. She was 101 years old. Premier Doug Ford said McCallion died peacefully at her home early Sunday morning.
As Canada's RCMP marks 150th anniversary, a look at what it says needs to change
After years of reports and allegations detailing a 'toxic' workplace, Canada's RCMP says it is trying to evolve, focusing on diversity in its organization and repairing relationships with communities as it marks its 150th anniversary.
Once-in-a-lifetime discovery: Indigenous jacket that may be a century old turns up in small U.K. town
When 1990s suede fringe jackets started making a comeback last year, a U.K.-based vintage clothing company decided to order four tonnes of suede from a supplier in the United States. Along with that shipment came a once-in-a lifetime discovery.
'Make peoples' jaws drop': Inuvialuk sculptor shaped by cultural stories
A solo exhibition at the Art Gallery of Ontario in Toronto is celebrating 50 years of David Ruben Piqtoukun's work. It features more than 60 pieces by the veteran Inuvialuk sculptor.
Majority of affordable homes approved under federal program not yet constructed
The federal government has set aside billions of dollars to quickly build affordable housing across the country, but delays in construction suggest many of the projects approved for funding are missing their deadlines.
How to get over the 'mental hurdle' of being active in the winter
When the cold and snow have people hunkering down, these outdoor enthusiasts find motivation in braving the Canadian winter through community and sport.