On Monday morning, the Saskatoon Fire Department responded to a house fire caused by the improper disposal of smoking materials.
The fire caused $350,000 in damage, and during the evacuation, a total of nine cats were rescued.
Firefighters were called to a home in the 1700 block of Avenue D North at 8:38 a.m. with reports of a house visibly on fire with heavy black smoke coming from the roof.
“Power lines were down and arcing from the fire. The natural gas line at the rear of the home was also involved in the fire,” the Saskatoon Fire Department said in a press release.
SaskEnergy arrived at 9:48 a.m. as firefighters cleared the area to allow natural gas technicians to stop the leak.
Two people inside the home were evacuated and one elderly man was treated for smoke inhalation and taken to the hospital.
All of the cats were reported to be doing well upon their rescue.