Three people, including a toddler, were rescued from a burning apartment unit in Mississauga early Wednesday morning.
The fire broke out at a building on Mississauga Road, between Lakeshore Boulevard and High Street, at around 4 a.m.
From her nearby home, Kelly Amaral told CTV News Toronto that she heard a woman screaming at the time. She ran over to help.
“I came around the corner only to see a woman and her child hanging out the window,” she said. “There was a gentleman already here and he had called emergency services.”
“They were panicking because the smoke was coming.”
Amaral said she was able to catch the child as she was lowered down from the ledge of the burning building with the assistance of the other man. She said they then helped rescue the mother as firefighters arrived at the scene.
“Then she jumped and we broke her fall,” she said. “Thankfully she was not seriously injured.”
Another woman was rescued from the building by firefighters.
Samatha Paulino, her three-year-old daughter Carolyn and her mother were all taken to a local hospital to be treated for minor smoke inhalation after they were able to escape.
Paulino said she wants to thank the Good Samaritans who helped her and her family.
Amaral said she doesn’t feel like a hero, noting “anyone would have done the same in that situation.”
While the cause of the fire is still under investigation, it’s believed smoke detectors at the apartment were working.
“We just want to reinforce to people the importance of having a good working smoke alarm in their homes, making sure they do work, and having a fire escape plan and practicing it as well,” Mississauga Fire Platoon Chief Luigi Davoli said.
At the height of the blaze, nine fire trucks, three command officers, and one support vehicle were on scene.
“Right now from first reports that we had is that it was in the closet but that has not been determined yet,” Davoli said.
An investigation is underway.
