Saskatoon Police Investigate Blast At Courthouse, No Injuries Reported

SASKATOON — Police in Saskatoon are investigating the detonation of a suspected improvised explosive device at the provincial courthouse.

 

Emergency crews were called to the scene in the city's downtown just after 11 p.m. Wednesday.

 

Investigators said the blast damaged an entrance to the building which the courthouse shares, but no one was hurt.

 

Members of the police explosive disposal team were called in, along with a bomb-detection-trained dog unit.

 

Streets in the area were blocked for several hours while authorities investigated.

 

No arrests have been made.

 

Debris and a black smear on the sidewalk could be seen at the blast site, while a cover over the entrance was partially caved in.

 

A police officer told one media outlet that the ceiling was forced up by the concussive force of the explosion before it collapsed under its own weight.

 

The shatter-proof glass doorway didn't break, although the glass panels were damaged.

 

Logan Tufts, owner of The Woods Ale House in downtown Saskatoon, witnessed the explosion.

 

"It really shook me. It was really loud," he said.

 

Tufts was biking home and noticed a fire at the doors of the building. He snapped a photo and tried to reach 911, but the call didn't go through. He pulled over to a median at the intersection before trying the emergency call again as the fire grew.

 

He was looking down when the explosion occurred.

 

"When I looked up, the whole front of the door was gone," said Tufts, who was able to reach 911 immediately after the explosion. "It was pretty intense."

 

In early February, an unattended backpack was found near the courthouse containing what police said was material to make a low-level explosive device, including a Roman candle firework.

 

The police explosive disposal team later destroyed the items.