The average new home is more flammable than the homes of 50 years ago.
That from Saskatoon Fire Department Assistant Chief, Wayne Rodger, who explains that new homes are built with lightweight materials.
Engineered wood with bonded fibres may give more structural strength, but it burns more quickly, as do all of the synthetic materials in a home, like in your furniture, curtains and carpet.
Because of these changes, fire can ravage a home in less time than it did in the past.
Another change in some neighbourhoods is less space between homes, meaning a greater chance of spread.
Rodger advocates for indoor sprinklers to be included in all new home construction.