Condo fire extinguished by melted water pipe leaves $500,000 in damage

An early-morning fire in a condo building’s ceiling partially put itself out when it melted a water pipe, but the damage left behind added up to an estimated $500,000.

According to the Saskatoon Fire Department, an alarm was triggered at a building on Saskatchewan Crescent West just before 2:30 a.m. on Thursday. When firefighters arrived, they saw smoke and water coming from a second-floor suite and the sprinkler alarm was going off.

The department said firefighters found and extinguished a fire in the ceiling of the suite.

No injuries were reported.

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After an investigation, the fire department concluded the blaze was caused accidentally by work being performed in the ceiling space on Wednesday.

“Smoldering insulation ignited the wood truss above the drywall,” the fire department said in a statement.

The investigation also found that the blaze burned hot enough to melt a sprinkler pipe, which triggered the alarm and actually helped to put out the fire.

“Water flowing from the melted sprinkler pipe extinguished the fire,” the department said.

The total damage from both the fire and water was estimated at $500,000, the department noted. Restoration workers were on the scene later on Thursday morning.