Two people are in hospital recovering from injuries after being rescued from a fire in a basement apartment in Moncton on Monday.
Fire crews were called to a triplex on Church Street at about 10 a.m. They found a man and a woman were trapped in the building, calling for help. The woman, who uses a walker due to mobility issues, had to be rescued by firefighters from the basement. The man was able to get out on his own.
Trevor Gauvin, who lived on the main floor with his wife and daughter, was able to escape in his pajamas without injuries. His wife and child were not home at the time.
Get breaking National news
Gauvin said he had woken up and thought dust on the heater was burning because he smelt “something funny,” so he turned the heater down.
“Then I walked out of my bedroom and I noticed there was more smoke, so I immediately started grabbing stuff,” Gauvin said.
It was a scary scene for Gloria Cail, who had driven to her grandson’s home to bring him laundry.
“His door’s open, the fire is down in the basement but I can’t find him,” Cail said. “I just turned the corner and I couldn’t get in and I saw all these fire trucks and ambulances. It was an awful feeling.”
The two later reunited with a hug outside the home.
Deputy fire chief Don McCabe said there were 22 firefighters, two investigators and two chief officers at the scene.
READ MORE: Most of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick under weather warning
He said cold temperatures were causing difficult conditions for firefighters as well.
“They’re going in there and they’re sweating, they’re coming out at -14 and they’re cooling off really quickly and they get warmed up when they go back in again,” McCabe said. “So it’s really hard on them.”
One cat also died in the fire, but a second cat from an upstairs apartment was rescued. Fire crews treated the cat with oxygen due to smoke inhalation.
The extent of both residents’ injuries are not known, but McCabe said they received some burns and smoke inhalation.
The fire’s cause is still under investigation, but the building has been extensively damaged.
— With files from Shelley Steeves, Global News
Comments