Mother breaks window to help 10-month old baby escape apartment fire
A family is breathing a sigh of relief after a terrifying fire at an apartment in Etobicoke forced a mother to break a second-floor window to save her 10-month-old daughter.
Tamara Harris said she was stuck inside a building unit with her young daughter as smoke started filling the hallways of the apartment on Eighth Street near Lake Shore Boulevard West on Wednesday morning.
Panicking, she said she broke a window in order to pass her baby to someone outside of the burning building.
She said a neighbour down below reached up and grabbed the baby.
Harris said she suffered extensive cuts on her hand and wrists when she smashed the second storey window.
“I said okay. My baby is going is to suffocate. We are going to die in here so I punched in the window,” she said.
She said firefighters eventually arrived and helped Harris out of the building. Both she and the baby were taken to hospital and are now in good health. They are currently waiting to be placed in a hotel.
Tenant Andre Johnson says the smoke was really thick. He said he ran to the exit door before firefighters arrived and started calling out to the residents in the hallway to come towards the sound of his voice.
Firefighters say they had the fire under control quickly, but two units suffered extensive damage. Tenants say it was a frightening situation.
TTC buses were brought in to provide shelter from the cold. The superintendent says more than 40 people were forced out of their units.
Some are being temporarily moved to vacant units in an adjacent building while others are staying with friends.
Watson and Harris said their daughter had some health issues when she was born and she spent the first few weeks of her life in hospital receiving treatment.
Now, months later, the little girl has survived a fire.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Half of Canadians have negative opinion of latest Liberal budget: poll
A new poll suggests the Liberals have not won over voters with their latest budget, though there is broad support for their plan to build millions of homes.
opinion Why you should protect your investments by naming a trusted contact person
Appointing a trusted person to help with financial obligations can give you peace of mind. In his personal finance column for CTVNews.ca, Christopher Liew outlines the key benefits of naming a confidant to take over your financial responsibilities, if the need ever arises.
NEW 'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Canadian couple among tourists on sinking sailing boat tour abroad
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their “extremely dangerous” experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Ottawa injects another $36M into vaccine injury compensation fund
The federal government has added $36.4 million to a program designed to support people who have been seriously injured or killed by vaccines since the end of 2020.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
An Ontario senior called Geek Squad for help with his printer. Instead, he got scammed out of $25,000
An Ontario senior’s attempt to get technical help online led him into a spoofing scam where he lost $25,000. Now, he’s sharing his story to warn others.
Accused of burglary at stepmother's home, U.S. senator says she wanted her father's ashes: charges
A Minnesota state senator and former broadcast meteorologist told police that she broke into her stepmother's home because her stepmother refused to give her items of sentimental value from her late father, including his ashes, according to burglary charges filed Tuesday.
Twins from Toronto were Canada's top two female finishers at this year's Boston Marathon
When identical twin sisters Kim and Michelle Krezonoski were invited to compete against some of the world’s most elite female runners at last week’s Boston Marathon, they were in disbelief.