It was a fire so intense, Noreen Frier said she and her husband were woken by the roar of huge fireballs.
The couple then quickly called 911 as the sound of explosions rang out.
“At 2:10 this morning we received multiple 911 calls reporting a fire in Greenbryre so we dispatched eight of our apparatus into that area,” Saskatoon Fire Department assistant chief Wayne Rodger said.
“The first arriving officer reported a structure that was fully involved in fire upon their arrival.”
The Greenbryre Estates home was under construction and is a complete loss with damages pegged at $700,000.
The cause of the raging blaze is still under investigation and it could have been much worse if not for firefighters salvaging an adjacent home from significant damage.
Crews checked to ensure the home had been evacuated and onboard booster water tanks were used to protect the exposed home.
The challenge in this case wasn’t the bone-chilling cold; the lack of fire hydrants in the area forced crews to truck water in during the remainder of the attack.
“We’re able to provide a sufficient amount of water in order to allow our operations to be as effective as we can,” Rodger said.
Fire officials said it took roughly two hours to bring the fire under control. More than 12 hours later, firefighters were still on scene monitoring for hot spots as the home continued to smolder.
D & S Homes, the developer for Greenbryre Estates, told Global News there are two fire hydrants in the area for fire protection.
One is located on the north and east side of the development as well as pump house within close proximity to the fire that can produce 250 gallons worth of water per minute but that it was never used.
The fire department is looking into these claims.
“I think if you move anywhere in (the RM of) Corman Park, you’re expectations are country-life,” Corman Park Reeve Judy Harwood said.
“That means you may not have potable water and certainly fire suppression is something you don’t expect.”
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Frier said as a homeowner in the residential yet rural community, people are fully aware of this when they buy or build in the area and so are their insurance providers.
“With our seven agreements we are very well covered in Corman Park with the different fire agreements that we have and the different municipalities with fire suppression,” Harwood added.
“I’m sorry about the fire but again, I think the Saskatoon Fire Department was very comfortable with the way things transpired.”
The file has now been turned over to emergency management and fire safety by the Saskatoon Fire Department since the fire happened in Corman Park.
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