A puppy is missing after a fire at a Saskatoon home Thursday morning, according to the Saskatoon Fire Department (SFD).
Firefighters arrived in the 400 block of Avenue I North just after 4:30 a.m. to find smoke and flames coming from the one and a half storey home.
Four people inside the home had evacuated and were sheltering in a vehicle.
SFD officials said people in adjacent homes were evacuated roughly 30 minutes later due to heavy flames coming from the second floor.
Visible flames were put out by 5:45 a.m., however crews came across a hidden fire in the back of the home at 6:07 a.m.
The fire was brought under control just over 20 minutes later.
A search of the home by firefighters failed to find the occupant’s four-month-old Sheppard puppy. SFD said the puppy’s whereabouts remain unknown.
An inspector determined the fire was caused by the careless disposal of smoking material in a basement bedroom. Damage is estimated at $100,000.