One person was sent to hospital for smoke inhalation after an apartment fire in the 200 block of Avenue V South on Sunday night.

The call came in at 8:19 p.m. and when firefighters arrived, they could see flames showing from a third storey suite of an apartment building. Three fire engines, one ladder truck, one rescue unit and the Battalion Chief were already there but when it was determined residents of the building needed help evacuating because of the heavy smoke in the hallways, two more fire engines were dispatched to the scene. Four people were trapped in their suites and needed help getting to safety.

The fire was brought under control at 9:04 p.m. and the Fire Investigator determined the fire separation door that opens into the hallway was left in the open position which allowed smoke to more readily escape the suite where the fire originated filling the hallway with smoke and making it impassable for some residents to evacuate safely.

Twenty-six occupants of the four storey apartment building were rehoused at a local hotel. The cause of the fire is suspicious. The Fire Investigator identified two origins for fire in a suite on the third floor including a bedroom and the living room.

Damage is estimated at $400,000. The person taken to hospital has since been released. No firefighters were hurt fighting the fire and Saskatoon Police will now take carriage of the investigation.