A father and son duo have been recognized by the Saskatoon Fire Department for their heroic efforts that resulted in safely evacuating the families of two burning homes, each receiving an Award of Merit back on Wednesday during a virtual ceremony. As Mitch and Jaxon Hozack were traveling to Jaxon’s playoff baseball game on the morning of July 25th, they noticed black smoke coming from between two homes in the 3400 block of 33rd Street West. Father Mitch saw a deck was on fire as he pulled over. After telling son Jaxon to call 9-1-1, Mitch jumped out of his vehicle and started banging on the doors of the two houses to notify the residents. After a few minutes of persistent knocking, Mitch was able to catch the attention of the occupants, allowing everyone to safely evacuate and retreat to a safe location. The Saskatoon Fire Department arrived shortly thereafter and brought the fire under control within 85 minutes. “We are thankful that Mitch and Jaxon were willing to spontaneously put their morning plans aside for the safety of others,” says Fire Chief Morgan Hackl. “Helping others, even those we have no connection to, is a value at the heart of the culture in Saskatoon. We recognize Mitch and Jaxon for putting this value into action.”