2 young girls credited with saving lives in Saskatoon house fire

Two quick-thinking girls are being applauded by the Saskatoon Fire Department for helping to save the lives of three people from a house fire Sunday night.

Firefighters say two girls happened to be walking by and pounded on the front door after they noticed a fire. All three people in the home woke up and managed to get out of the home safely before the flames surrounded the home.

The fire department was called to the house fire on the 500 block of Hampton Circle just after 10 p.m. CST.

Fire crews could see the flames from blocks away as they were driving towards the area.

'All their belongings are gone'

Kevin Knihnitski, who lives a couple of blocks away, said he could see flames shooting six to nine metres into the air while the building was burning.

"It was pretty hot," he said. "The house beside it, the siding is pretty much melted. The garage is a good 60 feet away, and it's melted."

Knihnitski's main concern now is the family of three who owns the house.

"Poor family. All their belongings are gone," he said. "It's crazy."

Gas leak

People watching from the street were ordered to leave after a natural gas line was damaged by the fire, causing the line to leak.

Firefighters couldn't shut the gas line off, although it was quickly shut off by SaskEnergy.

No one was injured in the fire. Investigators believe the fire was caused by smoldering cigarettes that weren't properly disposed of.

Damage is estimated at $450,000.

The girls who woke the family up haven't been identified.

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