Fire department requests demolition permit for levelled Clarence Avenue home

It has been just over three months since an east Saskatoon neighbourhood was rocked by a massive house explosion around 4 a.m. on June 21.

A 59-year-old man who lived in the home in the 2200 block of Clarence Avenue South was killed; his body was found in the basement.

Debris from the explosion seriously damaged two houses on either side, while glass and other debris also landed in the street and on adjacent properties.

Since then, several vehicles have been removed from the property, but most of the wood, glass, siding and other material from the levelled home remains. According to Saskatoon Fire Department Assistant Chief Yvonne Raymer, an order was written for the debris to be removed, but that hasn’t happened.

“(The order) is outstanding now, so under our authority to take action to complete the work as per the order, it’s a process now where we’re seeking a demolition permit so that we can complete the work,” she said.

The original order went to whoever was on the home’s title, but she’s not sure who that might be. She did say other individuals — whether they were relatives or others — were notified of the requirement.

The City of Saskatoon’s building standards department is now looking at the demolition request, a process which could take another few weeks. Raymer says it’s not unusual for the demolition of a building to take months if it has been deemed uninhabitable.

“When we look at buildings that are not structurally sound or whether they’ve had structural loss due to fire that requires them to be demolished where they can’t be fixed or the property owner or designated agent cannot take action … this is just a normal process,” she said. “Through the Cities Act, we take action to remedy it.

“This is not the first property unfortunately that has involved a deceased person who was on title,” she added.

The site is still fenced off to the public and at this time doesn’t present a hazard. When the demolition order is granted, Raymer says there’s a  process they go through with a cost recovery plan.

“We’ve always been able to place any work with any property we have to do — whether it’s remediation, whether it’s cleanup or demolition — to place it onto the tax roll so that it doesn’t get assumed or consumed by City of Saskatoon taxpayers,” she said.

There’s also a process in place to recapture labour, excavation and other costs and it’s applied to the individual property owner’s tax bill.

Raymer says once the demolition permit is granted, then a call goes out for contractors to complete the work. Whoever can meet the timeline in the most cost-effective way gets the job.

She says the work should be completed before winter arrives.