96-year-old woman helped from burning building in Vancouver
Residents of an apartment building in Vancouver’s West End helped carry a 96-year-old woman down 15 flights of stairs while flames erupted from a suite.
The fire started just after 6 p.m. Thursday inside an apartment on the 14th floor of the building at Comox and Thurlow streets.
Lily O’Hearn, 96, was living directly above and residents at the scene told CTV News Vancouver she was having trouble getting down the stairwell.
“(There were) two people that were trying to carry that lady alone, it was complicated,” said Antonia Chabburt.
He and his cousin, Benjamin, stepped in to help.
“(They were) trying to bring her down stair by stair, luckily we found her on the way,” Benjamin Chabburt said, adding the smoke was so intense it was “absolutely unbreathable.”
O’Hearn made it outside and was looked over by paramedics at the scene. Her daughter, Fran Thomas, arrived shortly after and was seen running up to the building, visibly distressed, before she saw her mother sitting safely in a chair.
“Ninety-six and she hasn’t been out of the house in three years,” Thomas said. “They had to carry her down (from) the 15th storey… how wonderful, what a community. I’m just glad that they took her.”
Assistant Chief Trevor Connelly with Vancouver Fire Rescue Services says the 14th floor unit was “fully involved in fire,” though crews managed to put it out within an hour. It was mostly contained to the one apartment because the door was closed, though apartments above were damaged from flames shooting out the windows.
Despite the intensity of the fire, no one was injured.
“Turns out the occupant had gone out for dinner which is a good thing,” Connelly said. “This is an older building, there’s no sprinklers (and) it’s unclear if it had working smoke detectors at the time.”
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Walking pneumonia is surging in Canada. Is it peaking now?
CTVNews.ca spoke with various medical experts to find out the latest situation with the typically mild walking pneumonia in their area and whether parents should be worried.
Minister calls GST holiday, $250 cheques for 18 million Canadians 'a targeted approach'
Women and Gender Equality and Youth Minister Marci Ien is calling the federal government's proposed GST holiday and $250 rebate cheques a 'targeted approach' to address affordability concerns.
'Her shoe got sucked into the escalator': Toronto family warns of potential risk of wearing Crocs
A Toronto family is speaking out after their 10-year-old daughter's Crocs got stuck in an escalator, ripping the entire toe area of the clog off.
Ancient meets modern as a new subway in Greece showcases archeological treasures
Greece's second largest city, Thessaloniki, is getting a brand new subway system that will showcase archeological discoveries made during construction that held up the project for decades.
Quebec man, 81, gets prison sentence after admitting to killing wife with Alzheimer's disease
An 81-year-old Quebec man has been sentenced to prison after admitting to killing his wife with Alzheimer's disease.
Canada Post quarterly loss tops $300M as strike hits second week -- and rivals step in
Canada Post saw hundreds of millions of dollars drain out of its coffers last quarter, due largely to its dwindling share of the parcels market, while an ongoing strike continues to batter its bottom line.
'Immoral depravity': Two men convicted in case of frozen migrant family in Manitoba
A jury has found two men guilty on human smuggling charges in a case where a family from India froze to death in Manitoba while trying to walk across the Canada-U.S. border.
Prime Minister Trudeau attends Taylor Swift's Eras Tour in Toronto with family
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is a Swiftie. His office confirmed to CTV News Toronto that he and members of his family are attending the penultimate show of Taylor Swift's 'The Eras Tour' in Toronto on Friday evening.
Trump supporters review-bomb B.C. floral shop by accident
A small business owner from B.C.'s Fraser Valley is speaking out after being review-bombed by confused supporters of U.S. president-elect Donald Trump this week.