Saskatoon firefighters battle early morning house fire 

Saskatoon firefighters responded to a fire at a boarded up house early Sunday morning.

The Saskatoon Fire Department says crews were called to the 100 block of Avenue U North at about 4:56 a.m. where they observed smoke and flames coming from a house and garage.

Firefighters used hose lines to attack the fire from outside the building and carried out a defensive firefighting operation. Crews also removed boards from the house to check whether the fire had spread inside.

Crews later accessed the attic with a chain saw to fully extinguish the blaze and clear smoke from the structure.

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Fire crews entered the building to search for occupants after finding signs that someone may have recently accessed the property through the back of the house.

The fire was brought under control and has been completely extinguished. No injuries to civilians or firefighters were reported.

As of 6:36 a.m., Sunday a fire investigator was at the scene to determine the cause and origin of the fire and assess the extent of the damage.