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
Spectacular aurora light show to be seen across Canada Friday night
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Town of Fort Nelson, B.C., ordered to evacuate due to wildfire
The entire town of Fort Nelson, B.C., as well as the nearby Fort Nelson First Nation, has been ordered to evacuate due to an out-of-control wildfire.
Bouchard lifts Edmonton Oilers to 4-3 overtime win over Canucks in Game 2
Evan Bouchard scored 5:38 into overtime and the Edmonton Oilers bounced back for a 4-3 win over the Vancouver Canucks in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs on Friday.
McGill University seeks emergency injunction to dismantle pro-Palestinian encampment
McGill University has filed a request for an injunction to have the pro-Palestinian encampment removed from its campus.
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
Video shows naked raccoon catching B.C. family by surprise
When Marvin Henschel spotted a strange and hairless creature wandering through a front lawn in B.C.'s Lower Mainland, he could barely believe his eyes.
Barron Trump declines to serve as an RNC delegate
Former U.S. President Donald Trump's youngest son, Barron Trump, has declined to serve as a delegate at this summer’s Republican National Convention, according to a senior Trump campaign adviser and a statement from Melania Trump's office.
Out-of-control wildfire prompts evacuation alert for Fort McMurray, Saprae Creek Estates Friday night
An evacuation alert was issued for two Wood Buffalo communities Friday night, as crews battled an out-of-control wildfire near Fort McMurray.