The mother who threw her child from a second-floor window into the arms of a police officer during an Ajax, Ont., housefire before jumping from the window herself has been stabilized in hospital a family-run fundraiser says.
Early on the morning of Jan. 19, a fierce fire broke out in a townhouse on Dooley Crescent, trapping a mother, father and their young child in the home.
When police arrived at the scene, a woman was yelling from a second-storey window of the home. She was able to throw her child down to a police officer who caught them below before the woman jumped.
A GoFundMe, set up by Mariah Thomas, the woman’s sister, identified her as Andrea.
The fundraising page said Andrea’s face was the first part of her body to hit the ground when she jumped from the window, resulting in several broken bones and severe injuries to her neck. The page said she was stable in intensive care and would remain under close monitoring for “several weeks.”
Police said a 41-year-old man was found in the home without vital signs.
The GoFundMe said the man, the child’s father, was in a coma in a hospital. “Please continue to pray for him, we are believing for a miracle,” it said.
The fundraiser, set up to help cover future costs for the family and to replace their possessions that were lost in the fire, has raised almost $50,000 in donations.
“Thank you all again for the prayers, heartfelt messages, encouragement, love and support,” Thomas wrote in an update to the fundraiser on Friday, a week after the fire.
“We cannot express how truly grateful we are.”
The Office of the Ontario Fire Marshal is investigating the fire, though police said it doesn’t appear suspicious.
“Ajax Fire and Emergency Services would like to take this time as a sobering reminder to all residents, to ensure that all homes have working smoke alarms,’ a Town of Ajax spokesperson said, stressing the importance of having an escape plan.
— with files from Global News’ Ryan Rocca