A picture taken at the time of Saturday’s fire. (Submitted/ Charles Robichaud)

By Nigel Maxwell

Crime

Suspicious Death: Body found following house fire

Mar 21, 2021 | 6:09 PM

The Prince Albert Police Service is confirming a deceased person was found inside of a house that was consumed by fire Saturday.

Police, fire and ambulance responded to the 500 block of Fifth St. E around 1:40p.m.

At this time, police have not confirmed the identity of the deceased and the Chief Coroner’s office has ordered an autopsy. Police are treating the death as suspicious.

The Prince Albert Police Service’s Criminal Investigations Division, Prince Albert Police Forensic Identification Section, Prince Albert Fire Department and the corner’s office continue to investigate.

Police are asking anyone who has information or video surveillance footage from the area on Saturday, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. to contact Prince Albert Police or the confidential CrimeStoppers tip line at 1-800-222-8477.

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At the time of the fire, residents in Prince Albert’s midtown area reported hearing a loud explosion and several popping sounds. The blast also caused a number of homes in the area to shake and some witnesses told paNOW they saw people running from the house prior to the explosion.

Late Saturday night, Prince Albert Fire Department confirmed the single family bungalow was found fully engulfed in flames when crews arrived at 1:38 p.m.

It was found that an explosion had blown the building off the foundation and then ignited.

A pipe with natural gas leaking was allowed to burn for several hours until SaskEnergy crews arrived and could shut off the line. The cause of the explosion is currently under investigation.

Homes within a one block radius were evacuated due to the incident.

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nigel.maxwell@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @nigelmaxwell