The Saskatoon Fire Department says they had to bring in an excavator to level the multi-unit structure after it caught fire on Sunday.

Fire crews were called out at 8:38 a.m. to the building at 1st Avenue North and 38th Street.

Fire officials say fires were flaring up and full extinguishment was not possible. There was a risk of collapse due to structural integrity lost from effects of fire and added weight of suppression water. They say an excavation company safely dropped the structure to allow firefighters to fully put out the blaze.

Shortly after 6 p.m. yesterday evening, most of the structure had been dropped to the ground and locations of fire were extinguished.

No one was hurt but those who lived there have been re-housed.

The Fire Investigator will work the police investigator, if a cause of the fire can be determined. Cause and origin scene examination was not possible because what remained of the building isn’t safe at this time. Damage is estimated at $500,000.