A City of Hamilton public works employee is being credited with helping save residents trapped inside a burning east-Hamilton home before firefighters arrived Wednesday morning.
Crews from the Hamilton Fire Department were called to a house fire at 12 Cope Ave., near Main Street East, shortly after 7:10 a.m., according to a media release on Wednesday.
Fire Chief David Cunliffe said at a media briefing Wednesday afternoon that the worker was waiting for a bus when he noticed smoke and ran toward the source.
Initial information released by the fire department incorrectly identified the person as an off-duty HSR driver.
“When they got here, they saw an individual leaving the home,” Cunliffe told reporters. “They were told there were still two people inside.”
The worker called 911, and then entered the smoke-filled house, where he found a resident on the floor in a hallway. The worker twice tried to pull the person to safety but was forced back by thick smoke. By the time firefighters arrived, the resident had been dragged closer to the front door.
Asked whether the worker’s actions saved the person’s life, Cunliffe said: “Absolutely.”
“The fact that he opened the door and identified there was somebody inside, very much tried to get the individual out and got them right by the door,” he said. “When firefighters went inside, they were right there and able to get them out very quickly.”
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Crews arrived to find heavy smoke pouring from the one-and-a-half-storey home and quickly removed the resident from the main floor. They were then told another person remained upstairs.
Two firefighters made their way to the second floor, located the resident and carried them down the stairs to safety. During the rescue, one firefighter was injured but completed the rescue before receiving medical treatment.
The firefighter was taken to hospital and has since been released, Cunliffe said.
Three residents, including the one who escaped on their own, were transported to Hamilton hospitals. Hamilton Paramedic Service confirmed in an email to CBC Hamilton that a man in his seventies suffered smoke inhalation, a woman in her seventies suffered smoke inhalation and musculoskeletal injuries, and a man in his forties suffered musculoskeletal injuries.
The public works employee was assessed at the scene for smoke inhalation but was not treated and declined to be taken to hospital.
The fire was brought under control in about 20 minutes, according to the department.
Cunliffe said the worker put himself at significant risk by entering the home.
It was “absolutely dangerous,” he said. “The smoke will get you very, very quickly. The fact is that very quickly that individual could have been another victim.”
Still, he said the rescue attempt reflects the willingness of Hamilton residents to help one another.
“There’s a lot of people in this city that will help their neighbour or help an individual,” Cunliffe said. “People look after people.”
Damage to the home is estimated at about $500,000.
The Ontario Fire Marshal’s office has assigned three investigators to help determine the origin, cause and circumstances of the fire. Officials said the investigation is in its early stages and there is currently no indication the fire is suspicious.
