North Battleford RCMP officers recall dramatic and dangerous rescue of residents trapped in apartment building fire
"The fire was just burning so much. Like, it was just blazing. And people had to get out of the building and we had to figure out a way to get them out of there." During the early morning hours of January 3, 2022, North Battleford RCMP officers were among the first on scene of a fire at an apartment building. To learn more about our North Battleford's officer's life saving efforts visit: rcmp-grc.ca/109117 #RCMPSK
Transcript
Text on screen: The following video contains the experiences of police officers who helped rescue residents trapped in an apartment building fire in North Battleford. Viewer discretion is advised.
Text on screen: During the early morning hours of January 3, 2022, North Battleford RCMP officers were among the first on scene of a fire at an apartment building.
Cst. Heather Healey, North Battleford RCMP: I showed up first at the fire and it was just absolute chaos. I pulled right up in front of the front doors and you could see the black smoke just racing out of the front doors and people were obviously freaking out, they were yelling.
Text on screen: The building's two exits were filled with smoke and flame.
Cst. Heather Healey, North Battleford RCMP: The fire was just burning so much. Like, it was just blazing. And people had to get out of the building and we had to figure out a way to get them out of there.
Text on screen: First responders quickly worked together – through the smoke and flames – to help people trapped on the upper floors escape. Some had to jump.
Text on screen: These guys have to jump, we have to catch them. So everyone locked arms and crossed their arms, made a web, if you want to call it that, and one by one they jumped down and they caught them from the third floor.
Text on screen: Others couldn't jump and an RCMP officer climbed a ladder up into the smoke-filled units to help them escape.
Cst. Joshua Trefry, North Battleford RCMP: On the ground here we were just screaming for him to come down, because the building was completely engulfed at this time, at least with smoke. The bottom is complete fire. There were even flames I'm pretty sure shooting out of the second floor apartment, right underneath of where he was.
Text on screen: Everyone was able to escape the building that night, thanks to the efforts of emergency responders and local residents.
Text on screen: Recently, a man approached Cst. Trefry in a store. He thanked him for helping his pregnant wife escape the fire that night – adding he didn't think she would have escaped without the officers' help.
Cst. Joshua Trefry, North Battleford RCMP: That hit me harder than anything had up to that point. I didn't cry, I didn't shed a tear, but I felt pretty emotional, like I walked around the store almost in tears just thinking about it – because it's his wife, it's her life.
Text on screen: To read the story in full, visit the Saskatchewan RCMP website.
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