SASKATOON — City engineers cleared the University Bridge after assessing the structure following an encampment fire on Friday morning.
City personnel removed debris and garbage, and the bridge was reopened to traffic at 11:59 a.m.
The Saskatoon Fire Department (SFD) responded to an encampment fire reported at 9:18 a.m. at Spadina Crescent and 25th Street East.
Arriving fire crews saw smoke from an active encampment underneath the University Bridge and extinguished the small fire.
Fire crews found an unharmed individual, who was taken into custody by the Saskatoon Police Service.
The fire department dispatched a rescue truck and a high-angle rescue team. City engineers assessed the scene for safety before handing it over to a fire investigator.
A similar incident occurred at the University Bridge in June last year, when fire crews and city personnel had to test the structure's integrity following a fire in one of the archways.
In a separate incident, the fire department responded to a dumpster fire in the 300 block of Avenue J North on Oct. 3 at 6:38 a.m.
Firefighters advanced hose lines after observing flames from a dumpster and a shed in a residence's backyard. No civilians or firefighters were injured.
Crews extinguished the fire and turned the scene over to a fire investigator to determine the cause, origin, and damage estimate.
