Saskatoon Masonic Temple fire causes $1M damage

A fire at theMasonic Temple in Saskatooncaused an estimated $1 million in damage early Tuesday.

Flames were blazing through the building when firefighters arrived on the scene around 4 a.m.

The building is often used as a banquet hall.

Bob Fawcett, an assistant fire chief in Saskatoon, told CBC News the structure was seriously damaged, but no one was injured.

"The fact that it was a smaller enclosed area and that metal was involved, metal gives off a lot of heat when it gets hot," Fawcett said. "We're looking at probably accelerated temperatures of above 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit to cause the steel to buckle like that."

Investigators were on the scene looking for a cause, but Fawcett said arson was not suspected.