Two Toronto firefighters hurt, one critically, battling downtown blaze

By Salmaan Farooqui, The Canadian Press

TORONTO — A veteran fire captain was critically injured and a colleague broke a leg after they fell from a roof while battling a downtown blaze, authorities said on Saturday.

The pair were part of a team trying to douse a fire in a derelict building when they fell three storeys, Toronto Fire Chief Matthew Pegg said.

“There really isn’t a phone call that a fire chief will ever get that bothers me more than one indicating that members of our team have been hurt,” Pegg said. “This really is the worst case scenario for me.”

Pegg described the critically hurt firefighter — a 36-year veteran — as highly experienced and well respected within the department. The second firefighter was expected to recover.

The two firefighters were working to drill holes into the top of the building to let heat and gas escape so that crews could enter and search for anyone inside the building, Pegg said.

“They were working very very hard under very challenging conditions,” Pegg said. “It’s dark, there’s a large volume of smoke that’s emanating from a very, very aggressive fire.”

An investigation was underway to determine the cause of the fire in the boarded-up building and how the accident transpired.

District Chief Stephan Powell said it’s possible the firefighters thought they had safe footing because the roof had several levels.

“It is a tough day, and any point in time when any member of our service is injured, it’s something that all of us feel,” Pegg said. “There’s a real sense of a concern almost from a family level here.”

Pegg said the operation was particularly difficult because the building was abandoned and it was unclear whether anyone was inside.

“Our first goal always is, and will always be, the rescue of people that may be trapped,” Pegg said. “Dealing with and responding to fires… especially when we cannot confirm if everyone is accounted for and safe, means that our people will assume and take on a considerable amount of risk.”

Mayor John Tory was at the scene Saturday morning in a show of support, and Premier Doug Ford tweeted about the incident Saturday morning.

“Keeping these brave Toronto firefighters in my thoughts and praying for their full recovery,” Ford said. “Grateful for their selfless service and the service of all first responders across Ontario who work around the clock to keep our communities safe.”

The Canadian Press first published this story on Nov. 2, 2019.

 

Salmaan Farooqui, The Canadian Press

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