Fire damages Lighthouse building in downtown Saskatoon, displacing 38

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A recent fire has added to the problems faced by an embattled downtown Saskatoon building that at one point served as a service hub for some of the city’s most vulnerable people.

Firefighters were dispatched around 6 p.m. Wednesday after alarms went off at the Lighthouse building in the 300 block of Second Avenue South, according to a Saskatoon fire department media release issued late Thursday.

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On arrival, crews spotted smoke coming from the roof. Further investigation found one room in the building that was slightly warmer than the rest, with a light haze of smoke inside.

Firefighters opened the ceiling, where they found a blaze burning in the joist space. The fire was extinguished after crews opened the ceiling further, along with the floor of the unit above the blaze.

Investigators determined the cause was an electrical malfunction. It has been deemed accidental.

Four suites sustained total damages estimated at $150,000.

Thirty-eight people were displaced by the fire. The media release said an agent representing the property had confirmed “suitable accommodations” were found for everyone.

No injuries were reported.

The building was for years owned and operated by The Lighthouse Supported Living, Inc., which ran various programs at the site with provincial support, including emergency shelter services.

The provincial government pulled almost all its funding in 2022. Premier Scott Moe said at the time that his government had “lost faith” in the organization amid controversy around financial irregularities and dysfunction on the board.

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Unable to pay its debts, The Lighthouse Supported Living, Inc. was placed into receivership and its downtown complex was put up for sale.

The sales process failed to secure a non-profit agency to take over operations. The Saskatchewan Housing Corporation ended up buying the property in a deal announced in December, with the intention of eventually selling it off once remaining supported housing clients could be placed with new agencies.

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