On Wednesday shortly after 1 p.m. in the afternoon, Saskatoon fire crews responded to a house on fire in the 100 block of Avenue L South.  Firefighters saw smoke coming from the house as they arrived.  A search of the home found it unoccupied, and the fire was under control within fifty-minutes.

About ten minutes after the first call, firefighters responded to another fire within a block of the first call just across 22nd Street West.  It was a dumpster burning in an alley.  A ladder truck, a rescue unit and the Battalion Chief had responded to the original house fire call and while en route, one of the fire trucks was sent to put out the second fire which was contained to the dumpster.

Both fires are considered suspicious.  Damage in the house fire is estimated at $200,000 and both incidents have been turned over to the Saskatoon Police Service arson investigator for further investigation.