Girl Set on Fire at Saskatoon High School, 14-Year-Old Suspect Taken Into Custody: Police

Evan Hardy Collegiate, a Saskatoon high school where an assault and fire took place on Sept. 5, 2024. The Canadian Press/Liam Richards

A 15-year-old girl was set on fire and a 14-year-old girl has been arrested after what Saskatoon police are calling a “serious assault” at Evan Hardy Collegiate on Sept. 5.

Around 12:30 p.m., the Saskatoon Police Service received calls reporting a fire and assault, according to a press release.

A police school resource officer who was already at the school for a separate matter intervened in the assault and took the suspect into custody. She is being held at the police detention centre and the serious assault unit is investigating.

The 15-year-old victim suffered “serious injuries,” police said, and was transported to Saskatoon’s Royal University Hospital, Sergeant Ken Kane said at a press conference. He noted that a teacher also sustained injuries while attempting to extinguish the fire.

He did not say whether there was any property damage as a result of the incident.

The area where the incident occurred has been secured for investigation according to police protocol, he said, and police are working with school authorities to determine when it will reopen.

The Epoch Times reached out to the school for comment but didn’t hear back immediately.

Police are also working with the Saskatoon Public Board of Education to make sure staff and students are supported according to the school board’s protocols for traumatic events.

Kane said the incident has affected the police force, with the mood in the office being notably low and some officers feeling upset. “This is not something that we ever expected or could really prepare for,” he said.