Five things to know about encampment fire that shut down University Bridge

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More than Saskatoon 40,000 drivers have had to take alternate routes this week after an encampment fire resulted in the closure of University Bridge.

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While there appear to be no structural concerns, the City of Saskatoon says the bridge will remain closed through at least Wednesday, when a further inspection is scheduled.

Here are five more things to know about the Sunday night incident and the aftermath …

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1 — SEWER DAMAGE

Heat from the fire melted a 400-millimetre sanitary sewer line under the bridge, which led to the rupture of a 16-inch gravity sewer main. That caused sewage to leak into the riverbank.

A temporary 500-metre bypass line was installed and is operational while a plan for permanent repairs is created. The city said arrangements were being made for a contractor or outside agent to assess and repair the damaged sewer line.

The location of the line break has made it difficult to fully assess the damage, according to the city’s director of water and waste operations, Brendan Lemke.

The bridge will remain closed to traffic until the inspection is completed or the sewer line can be repaired. The pedestrian walkway on the south side of the bridge remained open, while the Meewasin Trail under the east side of the bridge remains closed.

2 — WHEN IT STARTED

Around 10 p.m. on Sunday, the fire department responded to a report of a fire at Spadina Crescent and 25th Street East. Crews “identified smoke and flames coming from underneath the University Bridge,” the city said in a news release.

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Officials determined the fire originated in an encampment under the bridge.

During that first hour when crews were at the scene, the temperature in the city was approximately -31 C with a windchill of -44 C.

3 — THE WSA RESPONSE

The Water Security Agency was notified around 1 a.m. on Monday, before water and wastewater crews set up a bypass for the sewer line.

According to the WSA, the rupture caused approximately 1.5 million litres of sewage to spill into the South Saskatchewan River. The city enacted its emergency response plan to divert the sewage.

The WSA said the amount of sewage spilled into the river was about .02 per cent of the total flow, taking into account the river flow of approximately 220 cubic metres per second.

4 — COLD COMPLICATIONS

Lemke said the rubber gasket seals on the pipe sections that are being used on the bypass are susceptible to colder temperatures.

“When we do it while they’re cold, it could crack those seals, and then we’re back to leaking sewage again … the crews are even warming (the seals) on tailpipes,” he said.

If people use less water in the meantime, that creates less sewage and helps the crews out, Lemke noted, adding that the University of Saskatchewan would be the biggest contributor to that sewage line.

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The emergency response is costing the city tens of thousands of dollars, Lemke said. Overall repair costs could reach into the $100,000 range, though Lemke called it “an unusual repair, so I’d hesitate to say what those kinds of costs are.”

5 — CONFINED SPACE

Fire Chief Doug Wegren said the confined space under the bridge creates challenges for everyone involved.

Mitigation measures were taken when an encampment fire broke out under the bridge in June 2023 to prevent people from getting into that space, but workers still need access to those areas of the bridge, Wegren said.

“It is difficult to get in there to begin with. If you make it like a prison, we can’t inspect the bridge.”

Wegren said fire investigators and community organizations try to connect with people struggling with life on the street, which can be as simple as a bus ticket or a cup of coffee and someone to talk to.

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