Arson likely cause of Martensville fiveplex fire: association

The burning of a Martensville development on July 20 appears to be the work of an arsonist, the Saskatoon and Region Home Builders’ Association said in an alert to its members.

“This happened in April with a number of builders in Stonebridge. It happened again last week, and again this week, so it just appears there’s something larger at play here,” CEO Christiana Guerette told the StarPhoenix.

“This is concerning because any extra cost to build a property, that gets added on and everybody pays for that.”

Guerette said builders can hire extra security, but the fires are also a community issue. She noted the Stonebridge fires were close to where people live.

A fiveplex burned to the ground and two other buildings were damaged in the Birchmont town home project under construction by North Ridge Development Corporation, according to its vice-president.

Any extra cost to build a property, that gets added on and everybody pays for that.

Martensville fire department Chief Kurtis Dyck said he believes the fire was suspicious, but the exact cause is undetermined.

“There’s too much destruction to find any cause,” he said.

Errol Fisher, vice-president of operations at North Ridge, said the company will clean up and rebuild the site. The cost of the damage hasn’t been determined, he said.

“It’s never a good feeling, ever. And the first thing is, did anybody get hurt? And nobody did, that’s a good thing. And it sets you back for a while, but you know what, you’ve just got to clean it up and rebuild it.”

The company has increased its security, he said.

KEVIN HILL A townhouse complex in Martensville was destroyed and two other buildings damaged in the latest fire to hit homes still under construction. The local fire department says the cause of the blaze can’t be determined because of the amount of damage but...