Two unlikely heroes emerged following a devastating fire caused by the improper disposal of a cigarette at a Lethbridge apartment on Thursday.
Seven-year-old Teheni Masini and her five-year old sister Saln were playing with their Barbie dolls when a blaze broke out in their apartment complex.
Smoke filled the stairwell leaving them trapped inside their top-floor unit with their mom and 14-week-old sister.
“It really many smoke, so we go inside and we say, ‘Help! help!'” Teheni said
Two TELUS technicians were at a service call at the neighbouring building when they heard the screaming.
“I thought they were going to have to jump and maybe we would have to catch them or something like that,” TELUS tech Matt Mosby said.
Firefighters weren’t on scene yet, but thanks to some quick thinking, Mosby and his partner Rob Wright set up their service ladder to rescue them.
“The kids were able to crawl down and the wife came down and obviously the baby needed a little assistance, so went up there and got the baby down,” Wright said.
The two service techs say the situation was chaotic. It was the first time they’ve had to extend their ladder to its maximum height.
The Masini family moved to Lethbridge from Syria a year-and-a-half ago. They’re currently displaced and aren’t sure of the condition of their home, but they are thankful for their safety and their unlikely heroes.
“I say to them, ‘Thank you,'” Teheni said.
Fire officials say all 46 residents were able to safely evacuate. The total cost of the damage has yet to be determined.
The family and TELUS techs haven’t seen each other since the rescue. They don’t even know each other’s names. Just strangers helping strangers in a time of need.