Emergency crews responded to a house fire just before 9:30 New Year’s Eve in the 400 block of Avenue R South. Patrol officers from the Saskatoon Police Service called it in. The Saskatoon Fire Department says in a news release that when firefighters arrived, the home was completely ablaze. As well as attacking the fire, some firefighters protected the neighbouring buildings.

One person reported to be living there wasn’t accounted for during the fire and the Police Service is following up. A portion of the home had to be taken down with an excavator, because a wall was at risk of failing due to the fire and the weight of the water freezing to it. City of Saskatoon trucks responded to the fire to spread sand around the streets and sidewalks because of the icy conditions created by the water.

The Fire Investigator wasn’t able to conduct a cause of the fire and where it began examination. Damage is estimated at $150,000. An Order to Remedy will be issued to ensure the building is completely demolished as soon as practical.

The Fire Department says crews responded to 36 incidents during their 14 hour night shift, and this was just one of them.